Russian climate policy avoids mitigation and fails on adaptation

Arild Moe and Anna Korppoo

Chapter 2 in Climate, Hydrocarbons, Sanctions, 2026, pp 26-41 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The main purpose of Russia's climate policy is to enable the continuity of the economy based on the exports of fossil fuels, and very few concrete mitigation measures have been launched. Opposition from the energy industries has postponed carbon taxes and emissions trading. Russia has announced carbon neutrality as a goal, but the main approach is a favourable calculation of the CO2 absorption capacity of Russian forests instead of actual mitigation measures. Russian policy is intended to impress international audiences without undertaking serious mitigation of emissions, and this tendency has strengthened in the 2020s. At the same time, the Russian government maintains the domestic narrative that Russia has conducted sufficient climate mitigation efforts regardless of its high carbon intensity. Adaptation to climate change is predominantly framed as a technical challenge and is not prioritized, even in Arctic planning documents. Energy companies active in the Arctic show increasing awareness, but they insist the situation is manageable.

Keywords: Climate Policy; Mitigation; Adaptation; Emissions; Carbon Neutrality; Forest Carbon Sinks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035355501
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