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v) Promoting sustainable development, green growth and the fight against climate change:
from MEXICO’S to Russia’s PRESIDENCY OF G-20View from Russian NGOs
Dr. Evgeny Shvarts,
WWF Russia
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кCivil G20 Meeting in Mexico, 23.02.2012Civil G20 Meeting in Mexico, 23.02.2012
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Russia’s Presidency in G20 (2013) and G8 (2014)
We are not beginners in the process
• 2006: Civil G8 Summit in Moscow;
• 2010: G20 Global Marine Environment Initiative (President D. Medvedev, Toronto – Seoul – Paris), implementation on regional and national levels (Arctic Council; draft of Russian Oil Pollution Act, Presidential orders);
• 2011-2012: Green Tax Reform – Fossil Fuel subsidies studies
From Mexico’s to Russia’s: G20 Presidency: similarities and differences
Similarities:
State owned oil companies;
Population is suspicious to Anglo-Saxon version of private property on natural resources and land as tools to solve all economic problems
Russian specific:-Around 70% of export – oil, gas, minerals,
-Around 34% of GDP – oil and gas sector;
-Do you know what means “Green Growth” model for Russia?
-No one FI are members in international voluntary sustainability mechanisms of FI (EP, UNEP FI, UN PRI, CDP etc);
-2,5-3,5 times less energy efficiency (CO2 per 1$ GDP) than in EU and NA;
-39-42% of potential increase of Energy Efficiency – in housing
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Redirecting fossil fuel subsidies
The G20 took the lead in eliminating fossil fuel
subsidies at the Pittsburgh Summit in 2009, but
countries have not yet fully implemented this
reform.
The billions of US dollars that can be saved
from these reforms can then be reinvested into
renewable energy access for all, directly
supporting healthy lives and modern economies
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Redirecting fossil fuel subsidies
towards protection of Arctic and
utilization of associated oil gas
Targets:
•“Second breath” for G20 GMEI;•Stop arctic oil drilling before “Three gaps” (knowledge, response and technologies) will closed;•Utilization of 95% associated oil gas
Estimated flared volumes from satellite data
• 35,2
15,211,3
9,15,4 4,1 3,8 3,8 3,7 2,8 2,5 2,3 2,1 2,1 2,1 1,9 1,9 1,8 1,8 1,5
20,0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0,0
5,0
10,0
15,0
20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
40,0
%
Bcm
Estimated flared volumes from satellite data, 2010 (bcm)
Share of global flaring level, 2010 (%)
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The sustainable management of natural capital and the
critical ecosystems that support life on earth
The sustainable management of natural capital requires that its value is
properly accounted for and reflected in national accounts and corporate
balance sheets
Tasks:
•G20 to support the best international voluntary environmental standards
as the base for honest and even global competition and as a base for new
generation o of sustainability indexes (FSC, MSC, ASC, sugar cone,
coffee, palm oil etc);
•Accounting and transparency of CO2 Emissions;
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Innovative financing for climate change and biodiversity
Mexico showed great leadership in helping to set up the Green Climate
Fund to help developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to the
impacts of climate change.
•Market-based mechanisms on international maritime and aviation
transport as funding sources for the Green Climate Fund.
•Financial Transaction Taxes as potential for investing in climate
action, biodiversity protection as well for the funding of news measures
emerging from Rio+20
•Support and promotion of TEEB agenda and payments for
Ecosystem Services – direct payments for protection of the most
important natural landscapes and ecosystems, especially transboundary
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From Financial Inclusion to Global Responsibility of Financial Institutions:
Targets:•State owned development FI (including sovereign funds?) should set up the same environmental and social requirements in their Policies and Procedures as WB/IFC Group and RDB (EBRD, ADB):
- Project categorization, public EIAs with fixed periods of complains, participation and protection of stakeholders;
- Compliance mechanisms in place;
•“The Equator Principles” FI should adopt regular “independent third party audit” for membership continuation(IFI and State regulatory financial authorities should recommend it);
•WB/IFC and RDBs: Mandatory requirement of countries membership in EITI for any mining project financing;
•Mutual funds with high level of environmental responsibility of investments policies – as potential source as financing for “green growth” in oil and gas producing countries
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Green Growth and Market Transformation issues
•Commodity Markets Subgroup of the Energy and
Commodity Markets Working Group, within the Finance
Track (???) - Sustainable commodities (FSC, MSC, ASC,
etc) have less price viability);
•Green growth is a transversal topic that will be taken into
account in all the above mentioned priorities.•Role of BRICS in financing sustainable development and climate change;
•the Development Working Group deal with sustainability
criteria for infrastructure planning and execution (???)
© WWF России / Владимир Филонов
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