Russian Federation

Russia is ranked 63rd in this year´s CCPI – down four places and remaining among the very low performers.

It receives a very low in all four CCPI index categories, GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use, and Climate Policy.

Fossil Fuels are still the main energy source

In late October 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new climate doctrine. The framework document, which is an updated version of the 2009 doctrine, confirms the recognition of human-induced climate change and Russia’s goal to reach net zero by 2060. However, it makes no mention of phasing out fossil fuels, with Russia’s energy strategy still largely dominated by the use of natural gas, nuclear power and large hydro, with some modest development of renewable energy (wind and solar) and energy efficiency measures.

Data show that the country has high per capita energy consumption that has been steadily increasing. As Russia continues to use fossil fuels as its main source of energy, its target and current share of renewable energy is below 5%. Russia is among the 20 countries with the largest developed oil and gas reserves. It’s also among nine countries collectively responsible for 90% of global coal production. Russia also plans to increase its gas, coal, and oil production by 2030. This is incompatible with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement.

The CCPI country experts note that it’s been difficult to verify Russia’s climate actions since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine.

The experts report that, under current legislation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions remain voluntary, which significantly weakens policy strength. A law on limiting GHG emissions was introduced in 2021, but it contains no substantive measures. The CCPI experts do welcome the increasing use of electric buses for public transport in large cities. The experts call for a clear political signal on decarbonising the economy.

Key outcomes

CCPI experts

The following national experts agreed to be mentioned as contributors for this year’s CCPI:

• Ekaterina Bliznetskaya (MGIMO University)
• Michael Yulkin (CarbonLab)