Forest-climatic projects and the fight against greenhouse gas emissions

Elena Gordeeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law of the Law Institute of VyatSU, took part in a practical seminar on the implementation of projects for the absorption of greenhouse gases by forests in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Far East of Russia

The location of the workshop was not chosen by chance - it is here, on the territory of the Sakhalin Region, that an experiment to limit greenhouse gas emissions is planned for the period from March 1, 2022 to December 31, 2028. The corresponding bill was submitted by the Government of the Russian Federation to the State Duma for consideration in early December 2021. The essence of the experiment: at the level of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, an inventory of emissions and removals of greenhouse gases of regulated organizations is carried out, the size of emission quotas is determined, and fines are provided for exceeding quotas. The goal of the experiment is to achieve “carbon neutrality” on the territory of the Sakhalin Oblast by December 31, 2025. Among the objectives of the experiment - and stimulation of the introduction of technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the formation of its own system for assessing information on emissions and absorption of gases, and the creation of a system for the circulation of carbon units. In the future, the experiment can be extended to other regions of the Russian Federation. The seminar was organized by the Sakhalin Climate Center, the Government of the Sakhalin Region, the Yu.A. Israel.

    "Not all emissions can be reduced to zero with even the most advanced technological solutions. In addition to such solutions, the possibility of using the absorbing capacity of natural ecosystems is being considered. For example, today, projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the forestry sector and / or increase the absorptive capacity of forests are especially popular, the so-called “forest-climate projects"" - Elena Gordeeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law of the Legal Institute of VyatSU, noted.

It is important that such forestry projects in a climatic context can bring significant additional benefits (ie benefits in addition to the "climatic effect" itself) - this is the support of biological diversity, and the adaptation of natural ecosystems to climate change, and an increase in the economic efficiency of the forestry sector; and others. The first forest-climatic projects on the territory of the Russian Federation are already being implemented. Today, in the course of their implementation, many questions arise that need to be addressed "along the way." One of the first such steps may be the introduction of amendments to article 25 of the Forest Code of the Russian Federation in terms of supplementing the article with such a type of forest use as “forest-climate projects”.

    "This is a long-term work and it is important to think over each step, use the time in order not to dump decisions “like a bucket of cold water on the heads of Russian business”, but to hone the regulation of a “sustainable future” today. In this I see the value of such seminars. I would like to thank the organizers of the event and the organizers of my trip to Sakhalin for the opportunity to take part in the discussion of important issues in the implementation of projects for the absorption of greenhouse gases by forests in Russia" - Elena Gordeeva told.

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