Russia Benefiting from Climate Change
This is the 3rd Article in the series of Climate Change: Effect Around the World. While in the last article you read about mass migration, an unconventional disaster created by Climate Change, this article will give you a brief about how Russia is benefiting from it. The effect of Climate Change is clearly visible across the globe, while most of the affected countries are struggling with the modern challenges brought by Climate Change, Russia on the other side seems to take advantage of it. Let's understand how ??
Geography: A prime factor
Russia is a polar country. Located in the north, west and east latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, most of Russia is much closer to the North Pole. More than 60 percent of Russia is located on permafrost, mainly in Siberia and the Far East. Even though a very small part of the population lives on the frozen surface, but the area holds a large portion of the country’s natural resources: Oil, gas, gold, and diamonds.[1]. With global warming, Arctic Ice is melting very fast & Russia is getting warmer with 2.5x of global average. As the World is getting warmer, Russia is getting fast access to petroleum and mineral reserves that were previously unreachable.
Extending for 57,792 kilometres (35,910 mi), the Russian border is the world’s longest. Approximately two-thirds of the frontier is bounded by the sea. Most of it was frozen, but now as ice is melting, it is opening golden gates for the future of the Russian Economy by providing a new trade route for its cargo ships. One of the famous trade routes, The Northern Sea Passage, which is inaccessible for most of the time due to high dense ice, has been opening for a longer period now. And Russia is planning to commercialize this route to boost its economy.
Melting Ice and New Trade Route
With ice melting around the Arctic, Northern Sea Route which was once considered impassable has now emerged as a potential global trade route. The Russian government has pledged to invest around 735 bn roubles ($11bn) over the next six years towards the development of route & Russian ports in the way. Russia wants to control the region by early investing in it, since the route is not only strategically important but also a big source of revenue. This route cut the delivery times between Asia and Europe by weeks, compared with going by the much longer Suez Canal route. And by developing the new route, Russia plans to take a healthy cut from the cargo passing this route. Most of the Asian countries will adopt this route since China is taking a lead and working in the direction of Polar Silk Route. Currently, Russia has invested in the port city Tiksi to set up a brand new military base. It is already running a 2.5bn-rouble port project across the country. In an attempt to control Arctic seaways Russia has built around 40 icebreakers ships that can run through ice. Reports also suggest, Russia is claiming many islands, which are newly discovered after ice melted completely from few areas. They are not building military bases on these islands but also started exploiting its natural resources by mining it.
“Russia envisions under Putin a northern sea route that is essentially a toll road that requires Russian Arctic escorts in the form of icebreakers or other patrol boats, escorting not only the Chinese but others who want to ship across the Arctic,” says Sherri Goodman, a former deputy undersecretary of defense who led studies of climate impacts on national security for the Center for Naval Analyses.
Access to Natural Resources
As more than 60 percent of Russia is located on permafrost, melting ice is giving access to natural resources including oil and gas fields historically locked beneath northern ice. According to a report published by Stanford University: “The Arctic is estimated to contain about 90 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, 17 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered gas and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, making up, respectively, 16%, 30% and 26% of the world’s individual undiscovered hydrocarbon resources.” Russia has already marked many islands and regions of Arctic as its territory, and Russian oil companies are already betting big on the new reserves to find undiscovered oil. Not only oil companies other sectors like coal and minerals mining have also set up bases in such newly discovered islands.
Remember the news, when President Donald Trump showed interest in buying Greenland. Americans are concerned not only for the control of the region which is going to Russia but also for the trade in the future. Russia will have a big stock of natural resources including oil and also control of a major trade route, which they will use to monopolize the trade market. And this is a threat to America and their allied nation. But the Danish government quickly rejected their idea, but America must be trying to enhance relationships with Arctic Nation. This incident could also be seen as an acknowledgment of climate change from a leader who has derided global warming as a hoax.
But Why Putin endorse Paris climate accord Now?
Three years after signing it Russia finally endorses Paris climate accord in late 2019. Is Russia doing it to avoid international Criticism? Clearly after visible benefits of Climate Change why will Russia do so. Well, Climate Change is benefitting it but also giving a few modern challenges. “Permafrost is undergoing rapid change,” says the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate report adopted by the IPCC. The changes threaten the “structural stability and functional capacities” of oil industry infrastructure. The greatest risks occur in areas with high ground-ice content and frost-susceptible sediments. Russia’s Yamal Peninsula, home to two of Russia’s biggest new gas projects (Bovanenkovo and Yamal LNG) and the Novy Port oil also suspect danger. Another reason for President Vladimir Putin is “Some 45% of the oil and natural gas production fields in the Russian Arctic are located in the highest hazard zone.”
Climate Activism in Russia
Arshak Makichyan, a climate activist protesting in Russia for Climate change hardly got any support. He stated “Russia is the world’s fourth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and our government won’t act without pressure. So it’s important to strike for the climate.” Then there’s the fact that politicians often hail the economic benefits of global warming: opening up the Northern Sea Route, for example, for both shipping and energy exploration in the Arctic.
Although 55% of the Russian population believes that humans are causing climate change, the number has changed little over the past decade, and climate change is on the periphery of Russian discourse. The worsening state of the environment came in ninth place when Russians were asked to name their main concerns, whereas concerns about the economy and corruption dominated. In 2000 Russia’s weather service recorded 141 “severe weather phenomena”, which it defines as intense weather conditions from heatwaves to heavy winds that threaten human safety and can cause significant economic damage. Last year there were 580.
Conclusion:
No doubt Russia is benefitting a lot from Climate Change, but it is also getting adversely affected as well. Simon Dalby, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Wilfrid Laurier University said “This is much trickier than simply saying, ‘Oh because it’s warmer, Russia will do better.’”
“The problem of climate change is actually the problem of adaptation to climate change. This is not a tragedy,” said Nobel Prize-winning climatologist Oleg Anisimov. “Certainly some places will become unlivable, but other areas are places that will become more livable.”
