Greenhouse gas emissions by Russia are mostly from fossil gas, oil and coal. Russia emits 2^[1]: 17 or 3^[2] billion tonnes CO_2eq of greenhouse gases each year; about 4% of world emissions.^[3][4] Annual carbon dioxide emissions alone are about 12 tons per person, more than double the world average.^[5] Cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore air pollution in Russia, would have health benefits greater than the cost.^[6] The country is the world's biggest methane emitter,^[7] and 4 billion dollars worth of methane was estimated to leak in 2019/20.^[8]

Russia's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 30% between 1990 and 2018, excluding emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF).^[9] Russia's goal is to reach net zero by 2060, but its energy strategy to 2035 is mostly about burning more fossil fuels.^[10][11]

Sources

Greenhouse gas emissions by Russia have great impact on climate change since the country is the fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.^[13] Climate Trace estimate that 60% of the country's emissions comes from fossil fuel operations and 24% from the power sector.^[2] In 2017, Russia emitted 2155 Mt of CO₂, while 578 Mt was reabsorbed by land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF).^[14]

2155 Mt of CO₂ was emitted in 2017 but 578 Mt was reabsorbed by land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF).^[15]

Russia must submit its inventory of 2018 emissions to the UNFCCC by 15 April 2020, and so on for each calendar year.^[16]

In 2017, Russia emitted 11.32 tons of CO₂ per person.^[17] But according to the Washington Post methane emissions are under-reported.^[18]

Energy

In 2017 Russia's energy sector, which under IPCC guidelines includes fuel for transport, emitted almost 80% of the country's greenhouse gases.^[15] Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) emitted over 10%. The largest emitters are energy industries—mainly electricity generation—followed by fugitive emissions from fuels, and then transport.^[15] According to Climate Trace the largest point source is Urengoyskoye gas field at over 150 Mt in 2021.^[19]

Energy from fossil fuels

Most emissions are from the energy sector burning fossil fuels.

According to the Russian Science Foundation in 2019, the natural influx of greenhouse gases from terrestrial ecosystems in Russia constantly changes. Measuring these influxes had shown that greenhouses gases into the atmosphere in short time intervals is contributing to the deceleration of warming in Russia. This is attributed to the fact that the effect of temperature growth deceleration, due to absorption of CO₂ by the terrestrial ecosystems from the atmosphere, is stronger than the effect of warming acceleration caused by the emission of CH₄ into the atmosphere.

The effect of terrestrial ecosystems contributing to the deceleration of global warming in the Russian regions grows in the first half of the 21st century and decreases by the end of the century upon reaching the maximum, depending on the scenario of anthropogenic emissions, under all studied scenarios of anthropogenic impacts resulting from the growth in natural emissions of CH₄ and the decrease in CO₂ absorption by the terrestrial ecosystems. In accordance with the results obtained, under the scenarios of anthropogenic emissions considered, the natural emissions from the Russian regions will also accelerate climate warming on the short time horizons under the climate conditions of the second half of the 21st century.

Electricity generation

Public information from space-based measurements of carbon dioxide by Climate Trace is expected to reveal individual large plants before the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.^[20]

Gas fired power stations

Gas fired power stations are a major source.^[21]

Agriculture

In 2017, agriculture emitted 6% of Russia's greenhouse gases.^[15]

Waste

In 2017, waste emitted 4% of the country's greenhouse gases.^[15]

Land

Russian challenges for forests include control of illegal logging,^[22] corruption, forest fires^[23] and land use.

As well as trees burning peat burning in wildfires emits carbon.^[24] Black carbon on Arctic snow and ice is a problem as it absorbs heat.^[25]

Mitigation

Energy

In 2020, Russia released a draft long-term strategy, to reduce CO₂ emissions by 33% by 2030 compared to 1990. It did not plan to reach net zero until as late as 2100.^[26] Reducing methane leaks would help, as Russia is the largest methane emitter.^[25]

Industry

Efforts to decarbonize steel and aluminium production were delayed by the Russo-Ukrainian war and international sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[27]

Economics

As Russia has no carbon tax or emissions trading^[28] it could be vulnerable to future carbon tariffs imposed by the EU,^[29][30] or other export partners.^[31]

Carbon sinks

Carbon sinks, which in Russia consist mainly of forests, offset about a quarter of national emissions in 2017.^[15]