Russia aims to counter West’s climate agenda by using gas and nuclear power

Pavel Sorokin, deputy energy minister of Russia, said that the country will set its own climate goals and make proposals to combat global warming in an effort to counter the agenda promoted by Western countries.

His remarks could be a preview of potential clashes during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, due to take place November in Azerbaijan.

The Ukraine conflict has strained relations between Russia and the west, and they differ on many issues including climate.

Russia, with the largest natural gas reserves in the world, is developing a new strategy for energy through 2050.

Sorokin said at an energy conference that "we will consider (climate related) measures in our energy strategy which will not significantly impact our development potential." We will also encourage other countries to follow suit.

He said that energy efficiency was a great way to combat the climate crisis.

"In Russia, we have a 20%-30% energy-saving potential. "This is a way to reduce pollution and not cover everything in wind turbines or solar panels," Sorokin stated.

Some of the realistic measures include using the clean resources we already have. "Such as gas, nuclear, hydropower, and so on."

Russia has repeatedly argued that natural gas use is compatible with global climate goals and should be a major component of energy consumption.

Climate scientists claim that the rising production of methane from natural gas is one of the main drivers of climate changes. They also say that plans to expand industry could impede efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. (Reporting and editing by Gareth Jones, with Vladimir Soldatkin)

(source: Reuters)