As Donald Trump pushes the United States toward inaction on climate change , he is likely to find an ally in Russia.
Russia is the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Yet the plan it submitted under the Paris agreement to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by is one of the weakest of any government and actually permits Russia to increase carbon pollution over time. The Paris agreement went into effect last November, but Russia is the only major emitter that has not ratified it.
Instead, it has laid out a timetable that would delay ratification for almost three years. A new alignment between Russia and a friendlier United States under Trump could slow climate action even more.
Trump denies global warming more nakedly than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pivoted from years of downplaying climate change to calling it a grave threat in , but has done little to rein in greenhouse gas emissions. The Russian Federation has a history of denial and inaction on the issue. Recently, some in the government and Russian business have begun taking steps to shift away from fossil fuel dependence.
Starting in , the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Russian industry produced a steep drop in emissions. In , Russia hit its target of a 30 percent reduction from levels, according to Climate Action Tracker, a coalition of European scientific groups. The Paris accord entered into effect after countries responsible for 55 percent of global emissions ratified it. On the same day, Russia, which accounts for about 7. Ratification would not be completed until after its presidential election.
