The Activities of the Russian Academy of Science's Council Concerning the Kyoto Protocol and Discussions Around Climate Change

Authors

Alexey Sobisevich
S. I. Vavilov Institute of the history of science and technology RAS, Moscow, Russia

Synopsis

The ratification of Kyoto Protocol by many countries in 1997, which was aimed at lowering the emission of greenhouse gases to limit their impact on global anthropogenic climate change, has not only economic but also political aspects. In many countries to make the decision concerning the accession to the Protocol politicians, scientists, economists, representatives of business and public organizations were involved. In Russia, a situation has arisen where politicians, not trusting the conclusions of international experts in the field of climate change, turned to the expert assessment of domestic scientists. Scientists have thus become very important actors in the process of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, being guided in making recommendations by both their scientific research and their vision of the development path of Russia. In the latter aspect, the opinion of scientists could coincide with the point of view of Russian politicians, who, in formulating their positions on the Kyoto Protocol, were guided by the need to defend Russia's national interests.

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Published
April 12, 2020