Visions for the future of the Russian coal industry in light of the global decarbonisation trend

The document identifies three primary discourses in Russia: a dominant 'keep coal' vision supported by political leadership, an economically-driven 'low-carbon trend' discourse, and a 'local environmental' discourse focused on pollution and health. It concludes that while external pressures like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and declining demand may force long-term adjustments, there is currently no active 'coal phase-out' discourse or just transition planning in Russia, leaving coal communities vulnerable to economic instability.

• The 'keep coal' discourse is the dominant influence on Russian policymaking, characterized by a belief that coal will remain long-term economically important and that Paris Agreement targets can be met without carbon regulation.
• The 'low-carbon trend' discourse is motivated by economic competitiveness rather than environmentalism, suggesting that Russia must adopt carbon taxing and low-carbon policies to remain a competitive exporter, particularly to the EU.
• A 'local environmental' discourse exists that focuses on the immediate health and pollution impacts of mining, such as coal dust and water pollution, rather than global climate change.
• There is a complete absence of a 'coal phase-out' or 'just transition' discourse within the Russian national political landscape.
• Russian coal companies exhibit a dual approach, lobbying against domestic carbon regulation while publicly committing to international climate standards (UNFCCC and UN SDGs) to satisfy foreign investors and rating agencies.
• The Russian government views international decarbonisation strategies as a foreign policy threat and a means for Western countries to undermine the Russian economy, leading to a 'securitisation' response.
• Russia's coal sector is increasingly reliant on demand from Asia, specifically China and India, to offset declining demand in developed economies.

APA

Korppoo, A., Titov, M., & Lomagin, N. (2021). Visions for the future of the Russian coal industry in light of the global decarbonisation trend. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Visions-for-the-future-of-the-Russian-coal-industry_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Korppoo, Anna, Maxim Titov, and Nikita Lomagin. Visions for the future of the Russian coal industry in light of the global decarbonisation trend. Climate Strategies, 2021. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Visions-for-the-future-of-the-Russian-coal-industry_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Korppoo |first1=Anna |last2=Titov |first2=Maxim |last3=Lomagin |first3=Nikita |title=Visions for the future of the Russian coal industry in light of the global decarbonisation trend |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=May 2021 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Visions-for-the-future-of-the-Russian-coal-industry_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{korppoo2021visions, author = {Korppoo, Anna and Titov, Maxim and Lomagin, Nikita}, title = {{Visions for the future of the Russian coal industry in light of the global decarbonisation trend}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Visions-for-the-future-of-the-Russian-coal-industry_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }