Does Russia have its head in the sand about the future of fossil fuels?

02/17/23 • 16 min

In this episode, Lauren Sneade speaks to Professor Thane Gustafson for a second instalment on how the Russian oil industry affects the country's attitudes towards climate change, given the country's distinguished history of climate science. They cover how climate change has affected the country so far, and how Russian policymaking has responded, raising questions around the political will of Russian political figures to tackle the crisis.
Further reading:
Igor Makarov, Henry Chen & Sergey Paltsev (2020) Impacts of climate change policies worldwide on the Russian economy
Thane Gustafson, Klimat: Russia in the Age of Climate Change. Harvard University Press

Tynkkynen, V. (2019). The Energy of Russia: Hydrocarbon Culture and Climate Change. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Gordon, D. (2021). No Standard Oil: Managing Abundant Petroleum in a Warming World. United States: Oxford University Press.

Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Gordon, D. (2021). No Standard Oil: Managing Abundant Petroleum in a Warming World. United States: Oxford University Press.

Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Previous Episode

What are the risks with wood burning in Japan?

Alasdair talks to Roger Smith, Japan Director for Mighty Earth, about Japanese biomass imports and the risks of the country's coal power stations switching to wood-burning.
Further reading:

SMOKESCREEN: SUMITOMO’S “CARBON NEUTRAL” FAILURES
SUMITOMO CORPORATION’S DIRTY ENERGY TRADE: Biomass, Coal and Japan’s Energy Future
Biomass cofiring loopholes put coal on open-ended life support in Asia, Mongabay
As biomass burning surges in Japan and South Korea, where will Asia get its wood?, Mongabay
Fossil Free Japan
Biomass Info, a resource library (Japanese)

Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

Next Episode

Why has EU law not stopped pesticides from harming ecosystems?

Alasdair speaks to Professor Mike Norton, Environment Programme Director at the European Academies Science Advisory Council, about newly published research on neonicotinoid pesticides.
In 2013, the European Commission severely restricted the use of several 'neonics' due to emerging research showing they had wide ranging harfmul environmental impacts on insect populations and ecosystems. But last month, the European Court of Justice ruled that Belgium had abused emergency authorisations to continue using them. Many Member States have similiarly authorised their continued usage since 2013, and the EU is now considering stricter legislation to prohibit the substances.
Further reading:
- Read the full EASAC report here, or the press release here.
- 'EU Court puts end to emergency use of bee-toxic pesticides', EURACTIV, Jan '23
- 'Commission’s verdict still out on EU court ruling on bee-toxic pesticides', EURACTIV, Feb '23
- 'Neonicotinoids in Africa' - a 2020 article by Mike for Chemistry World

Click here for our website to read all our most recent Land and Climate Review features and pieces.

The Land & Climate Podcast - Does Russia have its head in the sand about the future of fossil fuels?

Transcript

00:07
Lauren Sneade
Hello. You're listening to the Economy, Land and Climate podcast. I'm Lawrence ned and this episode we have Than Gustafson on for the second time. To continue our conversation about Russian oil, we'll be talking about how climate change affects Russia and the political factors in the Russian discussion on hydrocarbons.

00:24
Prof. Thane Gustafson
Near term consequence of the invasion is that the Russian government is