Russia's COP-26 Team Wants Carbon Credits For Its Burning Forests: "Unproven, At Worst Unrealistic"

[hatrack]

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Russia’s team of negotiators in Glasgow underline that the forests play a key role in national emission estimates. Moscow is determined to work for an official recognition of the role of its forests, Minister of Natural Resources Aleksandr Kozlov made clear ahead of his departure to Glasgow. “Our task is to make the global community recognize the forestry industry will include state and private projects aimed at enhancing the potential to absorb CO2,” he said in a comment.

According to Russian authorities, the country’s ecosystems, and primarily its forests, neutralize as much as 2,5 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. That estimate, however, is disputed by experts. According to eight Russian and international forestry and carbon accounting experts interviewed by the Moscow Times, the 2,5 billion figure is — at best — unproven, and at worst unrealistic.

The high level of CO2 absorption is also in danger of being out-leveled by the growing number of wild fires blazing across the country. This summer, parts of Siberia were paralyzed as thick smoke covered several of the region’s biggest cities. In mid-August all air traffic to and from the city of Yakutsk had to be cancelled, representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations told President Putin in a meeting in mid-August.

The big increase in fires comes as temperatures have hiked to a historical high. The summer of 2021 was Russia’s warmest on record. According to meteorological institute Roshydromet, the month of August was the hottest ever. And the summer as such was at the same level 2016, the year with the previous temperature record.

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https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/climate-crisis/2021/11/climate-negotiators-point-russias-great-forests-many-them-are-ablaze

[Ghost Dog]

1. Rssia should certainly be encouraged

to conserve its forests.