The photo is sourced from photo.roscongress.org
“How dire is the picture of climate change? And should we fight this change?” Sergey Brilev asked at the start of the session, addressing Sergey Anoprienko, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation. “Changes in climate are not that scary when you can predict them correctly,” Mr. Anoprienko said. He noted that dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena are on the rise in Russia: while in 2022 their number stood at 438, the Natural Resources Ministry expects this indicator to reach 544 in 2023. Changes are also taking place at the global level: over the past 200 years, the average air temperature has increased by 1.15 degrees Celsius, with the concentration of carbon dioxide growing by 1.5 times.
However, there is no “off-switch” that could stop climate change: Mr. Anoprienko believes that the results of climate impact mitigation will only become noticeable in the second half of the 21st century. Nonetheless, this does not negate the importance of conservation efforts. “The law on permafrost monitoring was adopted this year, as part of which Roshydromet will establish a permafrost soil monitoring network, which will include 140 stations,” Anoprienko noted. The monitoring will make it possible to track the glacier and permafrost melting dynamics that affect the development scenarios of many Russian regions.
The topic of environmental monitoring was also discussed by Vladimir Solodov, Governor of the Kamchatka Territory. “We live by the ocean, about which we know very little. We know very little about changes in the climate that affects us every day,” Solodov admitted in his speech. Among the major climate factors, he listed the migration of fish from the south to the north (in 2022, Kamchatka provided 85% of the country’s salmon catch, whereas the region’s share was only 50% ten years ago); red tides, which are caused by changes in ocean acidity; and an increase in the number of typhoons, which had not been recorded in Russia’s Far East in the past.
Speaking about the balance between nature conservation and economic development, Mr. Solodov emphasised the paramount importance of preserving ecosystems. “We give priority to the economic projects that are based on renewable resources,” he noted. The region pursues projects in the areas of fishing, tourism and logistics, forgoing efforts to develop alluvial gold mining in the upper reaches of spawning rivers. Mr. Solodov said that renewable energy projects also play an important role in striking this balance: geothermal energy accounts for about 30% of Kamchatka’s power generation, and the region plans to, in partnership with RusHydro, expand the capacity of the Mutnovskaya GeoPP.
During his speech, Mr. Solodov presented a report that was drawn up based on the results of the All-Russian Youth Ecological Forum “Ecosystem. Reserved Land” that took place in Kamchatka in the summer. In response, Sergey Brilev recalled that June 2023 saw the Global Energy Association present its fourth annual report titled “10 Breakthrough Ideas in Energy for the Next 10 Years”, in which an additional chapter was also written by promising specialists from among the finalists of the Young Scientist programme, which the Association carries out jointly with PJSC Gazprom.
“Nuclear energy is a tool that allows us to achieve the goals of economic growth and ecosystem preservation,” Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General of Rosatom State Corporation, said at the session. Mr. Komarov noted that Russia’s Far East has already become a springboard for a number of nuclear projects, including the world’s first floating small nuclear power plant (SNPP), which has been operating in Chukotka since 2020; the onshore SNPP project in Yakutia, which will be implemented by 2028; and the construction of four modernised floating power units that will supply the Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant (GOK), which will develop the Peschanka gold-copper deposit in Chukotka. Rosatom’s interests also include hydrogen energy: the state corporation is taking part in the Sakhalin-based Eastern Hydrogen Cluster project, which envisages a hydrogen plant, a competence centre and a test range, as well as the conversion of railway transport to hydrogen fuel. “These projects serve to maintain a balance between economic development and respect for nature,” Mr. Komarov concluded.
“Sakhalin pays great attention to sustainable development,” noted Vyacheslav Alenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Sakhalin Region. The region is implementing four programmes that are related to the environment in one way or another: a decarbonisation programme aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2025; a programme for adapting to climate change, which has led to, among other things, tuna appearing in local waters; a programme for the expansion of gas infrastructure on a mass scale, which is beneficial to air quality; and the Spring Cleaning programme, which involves raising sunken ships to the shore.
“Decarbonisation is primarily related to energy efficiency. This covers municipal buildings, structures, enterprises – there is huge potential for simply putting things into order; this is what motivates the move towards the economy, the environment, and CO2 emissions reduction,” Mr. Alenkov said.
“As the largest region in the Russian Federation and the biggest territorial entity in the world, Yakutia cannot stay away from global trends,” stressed Kirill Bychkov, First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). To wit, the region has adopted a climate adaptation programme consisting of 63 items, which periodically get supplemented. Bychkov listed three environmental priorities: monitoring of the thawing of permafrost soils, which affects the condition of housing infrastructure; creation of special programmes for the Lena River that is not only an important traffic artery, but also an ecosystem for one-third of Russian territory; and finally, preservation of biodiversity, including through reducing the number of forest fires and the areas they affect. “We are monitoring all technological developments very closely…the first power unit of a small nuclear power plant is already under construction, and I think other projects in that vein will follow,” Bychkov concluded.
The fact that Nornickel is one of the global leaders in carbon footprint reduction was mentioned by Andrey Grachev, Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs at MMC Norilsk Nickel. “We meet half of our electricity needs via renewable sources. In addition, we produce green metals, such as palladium for catalysts and cobalt for electric vehicles, and we are also going to produce lithium for batteries together with Rosatom,” Grachev said. On top of that, the company plans to reduce its sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 40% by the end of next year; this project is budgeted at more than RUB 300 billion. Finally, Nornickel is implementing the RUB 40 billion programme Clean Norilsk, through which the company has cleaned an area the size of Monaco, as well as projects aimed at preserving populations of polar bear and gyrfalcon (bird species from the Falconiformes order).
“Hydroelectric power plants not only produce clean electricity, but also absorb carbon dioxide through water reservoirs,” said Roman Berdnikov, First Deputy Director General, Member of the Management Board at RusHydro. He added that the company had signed agreements with the Government of the Amur Region as part of EEF 2023 to build anti-flood HPPs in the Amur River basin, namely, the Nizhne-Zeyskaya and Selemdzhinskya HPPs. The launch of these facilities will also help satisfy power demand, which is growing at a faster rate in Russia’s Far East compared to the country at large.
