Russia to pull out of Kyoto deal

Moscow, Dec 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia opposes the renewal of the Kyoto Protocol and will not sign an extension to the climate treaty, Russian envoy Alexander Bedritsky said Friday.

“Russia will not participate in the second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol,” he told the UN climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico.

The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement, restricting carbon emissions, that expires in 2012.

A new global climate deal is needed to continue efforts beyond 2012.

Bedritsky - president of the World Meteorological Organisation and adviser to the Russian president - said there had been “no basic changes in the negotiating process”.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev previously said the country would pull out of the Kyoto agreement if a compromise could not be found concerning the reduction of carbon emissions.

Russia’s announcement follows a statement from Japan that it would not sign an extension of Kyoto. Canada is also expected to oppose extending the Kyoto agreement.

Russia believes that climate change should be tackled by modern technology, not cuts in carbon emissions stipulated by the Kyoto Protocol.

Medvedev earlier said that while the 2009 Copenhagen Summit was a disappointment, Russia was determined to push forward strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saying the country could then meet its target of a 25 percent cut by 2020.

The G20 leaders failed to reach an agreement at the last UN climate summit in December 2009, largely as a result of China’s reluctance to agree to binding commitments.

China has consistently showed reluctance to commit to slashing greenhouse emissions, despite being the world’s largest emitter.

In light of the disagreements, this year’s summit aims to reach less ambitious goals than last year’s.

–IANS/RIA Novosti