US-Russia Climate Talks to Begin

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will hold climate talks with his Russian counterpart Ruslan Edelgeriyev today.

Although the two states are experiencing shaky relations after Russia stationed 100,000 troops to its border with Ukraine in an attempt to nullify the latter’s NATO candidacy, today’s meeting acknowledges the urgent necessity for bilateral collaboration to tackle the climate crisis.

Today’s meeting will exclusively discuss serious matters concerning the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions and phasing out fossil fuel. This initiative came after both countries suffered from devastating wildfires—a product of rising temperatures.

During the medium-term, Moscow will mobilize to cut down its carbon emissions in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. With that being said, it will refrain from making an effort in eliminating fossil fuel production, as petroleum and natural gas accounts for almost 33% of Russia’s economy. Instead, it will look for alternative ways such as cracking down against illegal logging. Moving forward, Moscow and Washington will continue to work together on climate change by staging additional climate summits and pushing for the same agendas in international conferences. This will not, however, be prelude for the nations to overcome their larger diplomatic quarrels during the long-term.