Russia’s efforts slowed down global warming for year – Putin

Russia is planning on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by substantial proportion in the coming years, President Vladimir Putin noted at the international conference on climate change in France.

As many as 150 world leaders have arrives at 21st session of World Climate Change Conference which opened on Monday in Paris. US President Barack Obama, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin were among those who have delivered their speeches today.

The Russian leader revealed his country’s efforts in fighting with global warming that slowed down the process for at least a year.

“We have gone beyond the target fixed by the Kyoto Protocol for the period from 1991 to 2012. Russia not only prevented the growth of greenhouse gas emission, by also significantly reduced it,” Putin said.

“Nearly 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent weren’t released into the atmosphere. As a comparison, the total emissions of all countries in 2012 reached 46 billion tons.”

Russia is planning to keep progressing by bringing breakthrough technologies into practice, “including nanotechnology,” Putin continued saying the country is also open to exchange and share the findings.

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Apart from that, Putin has also promised Russia will reduce its polluting emissions by 70 percent by 2030 as compared to base level in 1990.

A new agreement must lay emphasis on the role of forests as major greenhouse gases absorber, Putin said. This would be especially important to Russia with its large forest lands. Preserving the lungs of our planet is a top priority, he added.

Russia is also going to provide financial and other support to developing countries willing to deal with climate change.

Addressing the conference, Putin reiterated the idea he voiced at the UN General Assembly in September – to hold a UN-sponsored scientific congress on natural resources exhaustion and deterioration of human settlements conditions.

The so-called Conference of the Parties has taken place annually since 1992 with participants trying to come up with most effective plan of handling climate change. The summit will last 12 days, from November 30 to December 11.

This year negotiators are to sign an agreement on practical ways of dealing with global warming. Drawing up a universal pact that would be agreed by and applicable to all countries is the main challenge for the negotiators.

Just ahead of the global summit, environmental activists all over the world have taken to streets and marched, demanding strong action from world leaders. Some of the protests have turned violent with around 200 people in Paris arrested.