US unsure of Russia’s climate commitment

The United States’ top international climate negotiator expressed concern about whether or not Russia will negotiate constructively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Todd Stern, the State Department’s special envoy for climate change, told news website EurActiv that Russia’s cooperation remains to be seen.

{mosads}Stern said he is waiting until next month’s United Nations meeting in Peru to see what Russia will do in the run-up to next year’s Paris conference, at which the UN wants all countries to commit to cutting emissions by some degree.

“I think we really won’t know until we go into the room in Lima and see if there’s any kind of change in the way Russia is conducting itself on this issue,” Stern told the website. “I just don’t know yet.”

On the other hand, Stern contrasted Russia’s diplomacy on climate with its behavior in the Ukraine crisis.

“We have managed, I think, to work in a reasonably constructive way with Russia on climate change in the past number of years,” he said.

“In terms of larger political issues involving Russia, I don’t have any comment on it. I am hoping we can continue to work in a reasonably constructive way on climate, and we will have to see.”

Russia ranks fifth in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, compared with the United States at No. 2.