Russia's Prime Minister: Russia to Ratify Kioto Protokol Very Soon

On Tuesday, while speaking at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, Mikhail Kasyanov, Russia's Prime Minister, said, 'Russia signed the Kioto Protocol and now we are preparing to ratify it. I am sure, it will be ratified by Russia very soon'. According to the official website of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, if Russia joins the protocol, the total atmospheric emissions will become low enough for the protocol to go into force.

Previously, Mohammed Tsikanov, a Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Russia, said, 'Russia is losing economic reasons to ratify the Kioto Protocol' because 'the unyielding position of the US at the WSSD talks on climate control make Russia's ability to negotiate the quota of emissions for Russia'. Of course, this statement provoked a negative reaction.

The ratification of the Kioto Protocol by Russia is a decisive factor of its longevity because Russia's signature will allow enacting the document even without the participation of the largest polluter of the atmosphere, the US.

The Kioto Protocol regulating harmful emissions into the atmosphere was signed by 84 countries in 1997.