Is the new ‘climate doctrine’ marking a turning point in Russian policy?

The document analyzes a draft 'climate doctrine' discussed by the Russian Cabinet on 23 April 2009, which frames climate change mitigation and energy efficiency as economic opportunities rather than costs. It notes that the doctrine recognizes the potential for unchecked climate change to reduce Russian GDP by 25% and suggests that the shift in high-level thinking could facilitate a more constructive Russian position for the Copenhagen negotiations. However, the author cautions that a lack of civil society pressure and the need for international recognition—particularly from the United States—could limit the doctrine's impact.

• The Russian Cabinet discussed a draft 'climate doctrine' on 23 April 2009, which serves as a political declaration of the government's approach to climate change, based on a February 2009 scientific report from the Hydrometeorological Service of Russia.
• Minister of Natural Resources Yuri Trutnev argued that the doctrine's focus on efficiency improvements would benefit the Russian economy, warning that unchecked climate change could lead to a 25% reduction in GDP and annual costs for extreme weather events reaching 60 billion RUR by 2050.
• The implementation of the climate doctrine involves structural economic reform to improve natural resource use, promoting clean technologies, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, as well as providing adaptation assistance to developing countries.
• The shift in high-level policy thinking may be compared to the impact of the Stern review in the UK, as it brings the significant economic costs of climate change into the public headlines, countering previous narratives that emphasized only the benefits of Arctic ice melt and shorter heating seasons.
• Despite the high-level commitment, the impact of this policy shift may be limited by a weak civil society and a lack of public pressure to adopt ambitious international targets.
• The doctrine marks a departure from previous views where emission reductions were seen as hazards to economic growth; the current approach aligns more with the OECD view that efficiency improvements increase competitiveness.
• The author argues that international recognition of the doctrine, specifically from the Obama administration in the US, is critical to sustain this policy momentum due to Russia's perception of the US as a key partner and the need for major emitters to participate in a comprehensive agreement.

APA

Korppoo, A. (2009). Is the new ‘climate doctrine’ marking a turning point in Russian policy? Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/russian-climate-doctrine-for-cs-final.pdf

Chicago

Korppoo, Anna. Is the new ‘climate doctrine’ marking a turning point in Russian policy? Climate Strategies, 2009. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/russian-climate-doctrine-for-cs-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Korppoo |first1=Anna |title=Is the new ‘climate doctrine’ marking a turning point in Russian policy? |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=7 May 2009 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/russian-climate-doctrine-for-cs-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{korppoo2009new, author = {Korppoo, Anna}, title = {{Is the new ‘climate doctrine’ marking a turning point in Russian policy?}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2009}, month = may, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/russian-climate-doctrine-for-cs-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }