Carbon footprint of Russia: realities and prospects of economic development

The article deals with the key aspects of the problem of determining the “carbon footprint” of industrial production. Rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emission within the past two centuries can cause irreversible changes in the Earth’s climate. Various manufacturing industries including “production and consumption of energy” create more than half of the “Earth’s carbon footprint”. The authors present a brief analytical overview of the “carbon footprint” problem in the context of solving a significant issue of global warming. They suggest references to current research and publications of Italian, Chinese and Spanish scientists. For example, Italian researchers proved that social innovations as well as transition to low-carbon technologies can be of good effect in reducing the “carbon footprint”. Chinese researchers (by analyzing 45-year-long data on the quantity of developed natural resources, energy consumption and population growth, “carbon footprint” and carbon dioxide emissions in the USA) proved that in the long-term perspective consumption of natural resources and renewable energy sources can improve the quality of the environment while population growth and consumption of non-renewable energy sources can contribute to its deterioration. Spanish researchers explored the connection between the “carbon footprint” and national peculiarities of people’s life. They listed the basic features of current energy transformation of the global economy (towards increasing the volume of renewable energy sources). The authors considered basic methods of regulating the “carbon footprint” of industrial production: by means of legal prohibition or improvement of pricing mechanism. They introduce the “Strategy of long-term development of Russia with low level of greenhouse gases till 2050”. The article contains information on reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in Russia.

1. Sustainable development goals. UNDP official website. URL: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

2. Consequences of the greenhouse effect. Lektsii. org. URL: https://lektsii.org/14-6459.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

3. How to reduce your carbon footprint. Picabu. URL: https://pikabu.ru/story/kak_umenshit_svoy_uglerodnyiy_sled_6513656 (accessed on 19.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

4. Causes, consequences and solutions to global warming, increase in CO2 in the atmosphere. URL: https://uglekislygaz.ru/dioksid-ugleroda/globalnoepoteplenie/ (accessed on 19.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

5. BP statistical review of world energy 2019. 68th ed. London: BP p.l.c.; 2019. 64 p. URL: https://www.europeangashub.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/bp-stats-review-2019-full-report.pdf (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

6. Nevel’skii A., Overchenko M. Global carbon dioxide emissions stopped rising in 2019. Vedomosti. Feb. 11, 2020. URL: https://www.vedomosti.ru/business/articles/2020/02/11/822790-vibrosi-co2-2019 (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

7. Cieplinski A., D’Alessandro S., Guarnieri P. Environmental impacts of productivity-led working time reduction. Ecological Economics. 2021;179:106822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106822

8. Khan I., Hou F., Le H.P. The impact of natural resources, energy consumption, and population growth on environmental quality: Fresh evidence from the United States of America. Science of the Total Environment. 2020;754:142222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142222

9. Esteve-Llorens X., Moreira M.T., Feijoo G., González-García S. Could the economic crisis explain the reduction in the carbon footprint of food? Evidence from Spain in the last decade. Science of the Total Environment. 2020;755(Pt. 2):142680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142680

10. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Dec. 11, 1997. URL: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII7-a&chapter=27&clang=_en (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

11. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. May 9, 1992. URL: https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/ccc/ccc.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

12. The Paris Agreement – UNFCCC. UN. 2015. URL: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

13. On Russia’s participation in the Paris Agreement on climate. Russian Government. Sept. 9, 2019. URL: http://government.ru/docs/37917/ (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

14. Makarov A.A., Mitrova T.A., Kulagin V.A., eds. Forecast for the development of energy in the world and in Russia 2019. Moscow: ERI RAS; SKOLKOVO Moscow School of Manag.; 2019. 210 p. URL: https://energy.skolkovo.ru/downloads/documents/SEneC/Research/SKOLKOVO_EneC_Forecast_2019_Rus.pdf (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

15. Meredith S. Sustainable investment funds just surpassed $1 trillion for the first time on record. CNBC. Aug. 11, 2020. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/11/coronavirus-esg-and-sustainable-funds-surpass1-trillion-for-the-first-time.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

16. ISO 14067:2018. Greenhouse gases. Carbon footprint of products. Requirements and guidelines for quantification. ISO. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/71206.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.).

17. GOST R 56276-2014/ISO/TS 14067: 2013. Greenhouse gases. Carbon footprint of products. Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication. URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200117795 (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

18. Hecht M., Peters W. Border adjustments supplementing nationally determined carbon pricing. Environmental and Resource Economics. 2019;73(6):93–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-018-0251-y

19. Carbon pricing. The World Bank. Dec. 01, 2017. URL: https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2017/12/01/carbon-pricing (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

20. The Ministry of Economic Development of Russia has prepared a draft Strategy for the long-term development of Russia with a low level of greenhouse gas emissions up to 2050. Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. Mar. 23, 2020. URL: https://www.economy.gov.ru/material/news/minekonomrazvitiya_rossii_podgotovilo_proekt_strategii_dolgosrochnogo_razvitiya_rossii_s_nizkim_urovnem_vybrosov_parnikovyh_gazov_do_2050_goda_.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

21. Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 22, 2015 No. 716-r (as amended on April 30, 2018) “On approval of the Concept for the formation of a monitoring, reporting and verification system for greenhouse gas emissions in the Russian Federation”. URL: https://www.economy.gov.ru/material/dokumenty/rasporyazhenie_pravitelstva_rossiyskoy_federacii_ot_22_aprelya_2015_g_716_r.html (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

22. Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated June 30, 2015 No. 300 “On approval of methodological instructions and guidelines for quantifying the volume of greenhouse gas emissions by organizations carrying out economic and other activities in the Russian Federation”. URL: https://legalacts.ru/doc/prikaz-minprirody-rossii-ot-30062015-n-300/ (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

23. Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated Sept. 27, 2016 No. 499 On amending the application form for placing objects that have a negative impact on the environment, on state registration, containing information for entering into the state register of objects that have a negative impact on the environment, including the form of electronic documents signed with an enhanced qualified signature, approved by order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated Dec. 23, 2015 No. 554”. Registered in the Ministry of Justice of Russia on Oct. 14, 2016 No. 44051. URL: http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201610180013 (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

24. Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated June 29, 2017 No. 330 “On approval of methodological guidelines for the quantitative determination of the volume of indirect energy emissions of greenhouse gases”. URL: https://minjust.consultant.ru/documents/37099 (accessed on 20.11.2020.). (In Russ.).

25. GOST R ISO 14064-1-2007. National standard of the Russian Federation. Greenhouse gases. Part 1. Specification with guidance at the organizational level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Approved and put into effect by the Order of Rostekhregulirovanie dated Dec. 27, 2007 No. 433-st.URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200077407 (In Russ.).

26. GOST R ISO 14064-2-2007. National standard of the Russian Federation. Greenhouse gases. Part 2. Specification with guidance at the project level for quantification, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emission reductions or removal enhancements. Approved and put into effect by the Order of Rostekhregulirovanie dated Dec. 27, 2007 No. 434-st. URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200077680 (In Russ.).

27. GOST R ISO 14064-3-2007. National standard of the Russian Federation. Greenhouse gases. Part 3. Specification with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions. Approved and put into effect by the Order of Rostekhregulirovanie dated Dec. 27, 2007 No. 435-st. URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200077410 (In Russ.)

28. GOST R ISO 14065-2010. National standard of the Russian Federation. Greenhouse gases. Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition. Approved and put into effect by the Order of Rosstandart dated Nov. 30, 2010 No. 595- st. URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200082706

29. GOST R ISO 14066-2013. National standard of the Russian Federation. Greenhouse gases. Competence requirements for greenhouse gas validation teams and verification team. Approved and put into effect by the Order of Rosstandart dated Dec. 17, 2013 No. 2274-st. URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200108768

30. GOST R 56267-2014/ISO/TR 14069:2013. National standard of the Russian Federation. Greenhouse gases. Quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for organizations. Guidance for the application of ISO 14064-1. Approved and put into effect by the Order of Rosstandart dated Nov. 26, 2014 No. 1853-st. URL: http://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200118638

31. International Standard of Assurance 3410 “Assurance engagements for greenhouse gas reporting. Put into effect on the territory of the Russian Federation by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated Oct. 24, 2016 No. 192n. URL: http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_207119/ (In Russ.).