Russia steps up pledge for climate action

Russia toughened its plans to curb harmful greenhouse gas emissions on Wednesday in a rare encouraging development before United Nations climate talks next month.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said President Dmitry Medvedev had promised Russia would reduce emissions by 25 % from 1990 levels by 2020. Russia had previously said it would cut emissions by 10-15%.

The deepening cut from a 1990 baseline nevertheless puts Russian emissions on an upward trajectory from now. But participants in an EU-Russia summit latched on to the pledge as a positive development before Dec. 7-18 climate talks in Copenhagen. Russia lags far behind top emitters the United States and China, but its attitude to the talks carries weight.

"I very much welcome the signal from President Medvedev today of their proposed emissions reduction target of 25%. This is indeed very encouraging," Barroso told a news conference after a European Union-Russia summit in Sweden.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's ambassador to the EU, told reporters Medvedev had mentioned a figure of 22-25% at the talks. Russia is the world's number three greenhouse gas emitter.

The new goal will still allow a rise from current levels. Russia's emissions, which have plunged since the collapse of the Soviet Union's inefficient smokestack industries, were 34% below 1990 levels in 2007.

"Russian emissions should at least be kept 35% below 1990 levels in 2020," said Olga Senova of the Russian Socio-Ecological Union, a network of environmental groups.

And Lars Haltbrekken, chairman of Friends of the Earth Norway, said 25 % should be an "absolute minimum".

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