The days of coal are numbered: it’s time for Russia to get ready for the energy transition

The authors contend that Russia's current climate pledges are insufficient and that the government must acknowledge the global shift away from coal to protect its coal-producing regions, particularly Kuzbass, from economic disruption. While Russia is a top global coal exporter, the authors warn that the collapse of the global coal development pipeline and policies like the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism threaten the sector's viability. They advocate for proactive economic diversification and a managed phase-out to support workers and the global 1.5°C target.

• Russia's current climate pledges are described as critically insufficient, and if other nations followed a similar path, global warming could exceed 4°C.
• The Russian coal sector has a disproportionate climate impact; in 2019, coal mining and combustion represented 21.6% of Russia's greenhouse gas emissions despite contributing only 0.4% to the economy.
• Russia is the world's third largest coal exporter, with approximately 60% of its coal production exported in 2018.
• The Russian government and coal lobby currently oppose a transition, favoring the expansion of exports and using subsidies to prevent short-term social unrest, which the authors argue may lead to future economic shocks in regions like Kuzbass.
• International demand for coal is declining due to the collapse of the global coal development pipeline, the EU's planned carbon border adjustment mechanism, and China's decision to stop funding new coal-fired power projects abroad.

APA

Korppoo, A., & Błachowicz, A. (2021). The days of coal are numbered: it’s time for Russia to get ready for the energy transition. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/the-days-of-coal-are-numbered-its-time-for-russia-to-get-ready-for-the-energy-transition/

Chicago

Korppoo, Anna, and Andrzej Błachowicz. The days of coal are numbered: it’s time for Russia to get ready for the energy transition. Climate Strategies, 2021. https://climatestrategies.org/the-days-of-coal-are-numbered-its-time-for-russia-to-get-ready-for-the-energy-transition/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Korppoo |first1=Anna |last2=Błachowicz |first2=Andrzej |title=The days of coal are numbered: it’s time for Russia to get ready for the energy transition |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=11 October 2021 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/the-days-of-coal-are-numbered-its-time-for-russia-to-get-ready-for-the-energy-transition/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{korppoo2021days, author = {Korppoo, Anna and Błachowicz, Andrzej}, title = {{The days of coal are numbered: it’s time for Russia to get ready for the energy transition}}, publisher = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/the-days-of-coal-are-numbered-its-time-for-russia-to-get-ready-for-the-energy-transition/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }