Russia will have a law on forest-climatic projects

Photo by: Zastavkin / iStock

By the end of 2022, a draft law on forest-climate projects (FCPs) will be submitted to the State Duma. This was announced by Sergey Anoprienko, deputy head of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, at the UN convention on climate change COP27.

“This year we will submit a law on forest-climatic projects to the State Duma. There will be time between the first and second readings to make the necessary amendments. Of course, it can still be finalised,” said Anoprienko.

The initiative to legislate FCPs was discussed back at last year’s UN climate conference in Glasgow, and now the time has come to implement it.

Forest climate projects today are environmental initiatives to protect, conserve and regenerate forests and increase their carbon dioxide sequestration potential. The main goal is to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prevent a climate crisis.

FCPs still exist in Russia today, but they are not regulated in any way. Legislation for them is needed in order to fulfil Russia’s Carbon Strategy, according to which the country plans to reach zero emissions by 2060.

Forests, whose capacity to absorb greenhouse gases has already been scientifically proved, will help to achieve this goal. The difficulty is that Russian forests are suffering from fires, uncontrolled logging and even from poor reforestation. For these reasons, a new approach to forest care, new planting and cultivation projects, new standards and accounting methodology are needed.

FCPs will also create additional carbon units in an emerging market, making the cultivation and restoration of forests a lucrative, though long-term, business.

Cover photo: rusak / iStock