By RTCC staff
Russia’s foreign ministry has announced it will not be making cuts in emissions under the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
It means the country joins Canada and Japan in rejecting the extension, in a move that will be seen as a blow to the iconic treaty and the European Union.
In a statement sent to the media, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich branded KP2 “useless”.
“The Russian Federation finds the extension of the Kyoto protocol in its current state ineffective and does not intend to take on obligations to lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of the so-called second round of liabilities,” he said.
“The content of the climate obligations and actions may be different for developed and developing countries, but they must be reflected in a single document. Without that, it will be useless.”
Russia considers it inefficient to extend the #KyotoProtocol in its present form
— MFA Russia (@MFA_Russia) September 13, 2012
Russia is working toward consensus so as to make the climate regime truly universal in terms of participating countries
— MFA Russia (@MFA_Russia) September 13, 2012
Russia intends to continue attending climate talks and to cooperate with all parties concerned
— MFA Russia (@MFA_Russia) September 13, 2012