Russia insists on inviolability of UAE Consensus wording for at least 5 years
MOSCOW. Nov 26 (Interfax) - Russia will resist any attempts to revise the provisions of the final document of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), called the UAE Consensus, which was adopted by the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2023 in Dubai, for at least the next five years, the Russian president's special representative for climate issues, Ruslan Edelgeriyev said.
"At this COP in Baku, developed countries were actively trying to revise paragraphs of the UAE Consensus. We were absolute opponents. This is because it was absurd: not even a year has passed since the UAE Consensus was adopted, and one already needs to revise the paragraphs of the consensus. This was directly related to the energy sector and hydrocarbons. [...] Therefore, we again need to stand for not revising the paragraphs of the UAE Consensus and for keeping them until the next [Global] Stocktake in the least. This means that we should not address it for at least another five years [taking into account the current year]. And then we will see," Edelgeriyev said at a meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Committee on Climate Policy and Carbon Regulation.
A number of developed countries at the UN climate change conferences have consistently advocated the need for complete abandonment of fossil fuels. Russia opposes this kind of approach based on the assertion of the need for a fair energy transition that would take into account the specifics of countries, including their climatic and natural conditions, socio-economic development objectives, as well as the structure of the fuel and energy balance.
As reported, the UAE Consensus formalized the wording on fossil fuels that is comfortable for Russia, in particular, "calls for 'accelerating the reduction of coal-fired power generation without applying emission reduction measures,'" "for transitioning away from fossil fuels in the energy systems in a fair, orderly, and equitable manner, accelerating action in the current critical decade to achieve a zero-emission balance by 2050 in accordance with the science," and "for abandoning inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or provide a pathway for a just transition as soon as possible."
Edelgeriyev said that the COP29 conference was for him "very intense and more difficult than all the others," and "Baku really gave the experts an opportunity to show themselves to the full extent and ensure transparency. And here all the problems that had accumulated, including the lack of funding [of actions by vulnerable countries to tackle climate change], surfaced. So there was a very tough dispute here."
Edelgeriyev also said that there was no current understanding of where the 2026 COP31 conference would be hosted, while Brazil was approved as the host of COP30 back last year. As is known, Australia and Turkey have already applied to host it. Turkey is a more preferable host for Russia, as the current political situation indicates possible difficulties in accessing the conference in Australia, he said.
