Support The Moscow Times!

World Bank Warns On Climate Change

Russia is likely to bear the brunt of changes to regional climate brought on by global warming, according to a World Bank report presented  Wednesday, and government officials are preparing special measures to deal with the negative effects of climate change.

The country will see the greatest increase in climate extremes over the next 60 years to 80 years among the 28 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the report said. The effects of climate change will be exacerbated by decrepit infrastructure and the legacy of Soviet resource management, the report said.

Temperature in the region has increased by an average of 0.5 degrees in the south and 1.6 degrees in northern regions like Siberia. In the Arctic, temperatures have been increasing at twice the global average, with ice, tundra and permafrost experiencing the biggest impact. By 2050, the number of frost days will decline by as much as 30 days per year, while the number of hot days will increase by up to 37 days.

Despite Russia’s vulnerability to climate change, Russians are not as concerned about the issue as are people in other countries, the report said. In 2007, only 40 percent of Russians considered climate change a serious issue, compared with 70 percent of Turks, the report cited a Pew poll as showing.

Official rhetoric about climate change has ranged from skepticism to enthusiasm. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin famously said in 2003 that global warming might even benefit Russia.

“For a northern country like Russia, it won’t be that bad if it gets two or three degrees warmer,” since “we would spend less on fur coats” and “our grain production would increase,” he said at a climate change conference in Moscow.

Although conditions for agriculture will improve in Russia, the improved output would only amount to 25 percent of what could be currently gained by increasing efficiency and upgrading infrastructure, the report said.

“Even countries that can benefit from climate change don’t have the resources,” said Rachel Bloc, one of the report’s authors. “The quality of the soil in northern territories is different, and there is no infrastructure there for farming,” she said.

Some government agencies appear to be taking the World Bank’s warning seriously.

The Emergency Situations Ministry is preparing a report for the government about measures needed to prepare for the negative consequences of climate change in the regions that are most vulnerable, said Igor Veselov, deputy head of the ministry’s department for international affairs. “We won’t be asking for money so much as for legislative measures,” he told The Moscow Times, adding that the documents will be sent to the government by the end of this year or the first part of next year.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more