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Scholars have observed the need to better understand the role of emotion in the issue of climate change, as well as to better convey the relationship between climate and other global crises. This article takes up these two positions, investigating the way social media facilitates affective connections between climate and other global risks. Using Twitter data from three global events – Covid, the 2020 U.S. presidential race, and the Russia–Ukraine war – the study examines how users connect climate change to each event. Placing these discussions in the context of online issue publics and ecocriticism, the paper examines the way users employ affect to connect these events to climate change. The paper uses a quantitatively driven qualitative approach, combining computational methods with a thematic analysis of affective expressions. Interestingly, sentiment was not universally negative, and the qualitative findings further suggest that users combine emotions in contradictory ways, expressed through the themes Weary Zealotry, The Hope–Disgust Dialectic, Climate as Proto-Disaster, Idiots and Enemies, and Global Solidarity. It is argued that a modified version of Beck's 'imagined communities of global risk' provides a framework for the role of affect in people's relationship to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A carbon price is considered the most cost-efficient greenhouse gas emissions reduction tool often used as part of a climate policy. However, Russia and the other countries rich in fossil fuels tend to have weak incentives for proactive climate policies including carbon pricing which may lead to falling revenues in emitting industries. Can the carbon price be implemented as part of the development strategy in fossil fuel exporting countries, including Russia? The paper analyzes the variety of existing approaches to applying the carbon price across various energy exporting economies. The paper contributes to the existing literature with the analysis of challenges and opportunities of carbon pricing in these countries and proposes key principles of a viable carbon pricing system in Russia. These principles are (a) balanced emissions coverage and support of vulnerable industries and social groups, (b) fiscal neutrality, (c) gradualness of implementation and (d) use of carbon offsets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The megatrends of climate change, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and the Western sanctions against Russia have made the once calm Arctic an arena of geopolitical competition. Before the Crimea crisis of 2014, the Nordics were the primary advocates for a Chinese role in the Arctic when Russia was still hesitant. In 2017 Russia and China agreed to build a Polar Silk Road along the Northern Sea Route, which complements China's 21st Century Maritime Silk Road plans. Russia financially depends on China for its aspirational Arctic plans. Meanwhile, China increasingly perceives the five Nordic states as a unit to negotiate projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and suggested a 5 + 1 format. Thus, China's rising Arctic presence made the age-old Nordics-Russia relations triangular. What does the Sino-Russian strategic partnership mean for the Nordics' preference formation concerning the Polar Silk Road? This paper traces the triangular ties before and after the Crimea crisis and finds that the actors switched from liberal towards defensive neorealist perspectives. The Nordics have become worried about the Sino-Russian Arctic honeymoon, Russia's Arctic military assertiveness and China's intentions. As the triangular links are out-of-balance, the Nordics might apply complex balancing to achieve collective goods along the Northern Sea Route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the observed data of average annual temperatures and precipitation for the period 1985–2016 for the regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan and an analysis of the influence of climate change on the soil climate. The Republic is one of Russia's largest producers of agricultural products, and the forest cover of the territory is almost 40%. Given the existence of extensive oil pipelines and water supply networks, the issue of soil climate is relevant also to the management of such infrastructure. The average annual air temperature in the region has increased by 0.7°C and some weather stations have recorded absolute increases in maximum temperatures. Thus, there is an increase in the length of the vegetative period but at the same time there is increased risk of drought. Further, the average annual rainfall is increasing. The importance of the depth of freezing of the soil for agriculture was considered; deep and unstable freezing zones were identified. The height of the snow cover has also decreased. The paper considers implications for engineering systems such as pipelines and basements for different buildings and constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 25 years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, sweeping political, economic, and social changes have profoundly influenced environmental protection in Russia, the world’s largest country and one of global importance with respect to natural resources, biodiversity conservation, wilderness preservation, and climate change mitigation. This paper reviews the state of the environment by assessing post-Soviet era changes to legislation, government regulatory institutions, and civil society. A gulf exists between Russia’s formal environmental laws and state agency capacity and interest in enforcing them. This stems, in part, from repeated bureaucratic reorganizations that have progressively eroded environmental institutions. The Russian environmental movement, which blossomed during Gorbachev’s reforms in the late 1980s, struggled in the 1990s to mobilize the broader public due to economic hardship and political instability. Since then, the Putin administration has labeled many environmental groups “anti-Russian” and used aggressive tactics such as raiding NGO offices, intimidating journalists, and instituting severe legislative measures to quash advocacy and dissent. Post-Soviet environmental successes have been relatively few, with expansion of the protected area system and forest certification notable exceptions. These successes can partially be attributed to efforts by large environmental organizations, but expansion of certification and corporate social responsibility is also tied to Russian business interests dependent on natural resource export to global markets increasingly sensitive to environmental concerns. The paper concludes by illustrating how corruption, poor enforcement, and the muzzling of civil society render the state incapable of resolving arguably its most significant environmental challenge: illegal and unregulated resource use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two different kinds of locales that are commonly understood as sensitive to the effects on ongoing and potentially increasing climate change are the Arctic, as a world region, and cities, as the preferred dwelling place of over half of the planet's population. Understanding how climate change may affect Arctic cities would be of paramount importance, especially where population densities are high. In the Arctic, the Russian Federation contains the most Arctic territory, the most highly urbanized places and greatest number of urban residents across all of the Arctic. This paper provides an overview of climate change policy in Russia, generally, and an urban vulnerability framework developed specifically to elucidate the suite of biophysical, socioeconomic, political and cultural vulnerabilities related to climate change in Russian Arctic urban places. This paper suggests that domestic politics and policy do not currently address the current and impending vulnerabilities related to climate change for people in urban settings in the Russian North. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper recommends a potentially ambitious, reformative view of engagement with the Indigenous societies of the Eurasian North in the context of biodiversity loss and climate change. The Eurasian North enters this new era still in a social and economic context that sees few guarantees for the rights of Indigenous peoples. Yet the Eurasian North contains the last nomads of the Arctic – Nenets, Chukchi and Even peoples who have been able to maintain their cultures and civilisations under many economic and climate pressures. This paper argues that we need a revised understanding of biological and climate assessments in the Arctic – a comprehensive one that positions Indigenous communities as a part of their homelands. Using oral histories from the Sámi of Finland and Murmansk, Russia, as well as two nomadic communities in the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia, Russia, this paper discusses the notion of ‘rebirth of Indigenous nations on the land’. By juxtaposing the theoretical framework of Even indigenous scholar Vasilii Robbek (2007) with these case studies a potentially new view emerges. This challenges the disappearance and loss of Indigenous cultures of the Arctic, and instead develops pathways that centre on hope and healing. It indicates the link between preservation of traditional human systems and climate and biodiversity assessment. People of the land are returning to their land with knowledge and histories intact. A key engine for this is the establishment of Indigenous nomadic schools across the region to preserve Indigenous knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant climate change impacts on arctic urban landscapes is the warming and degradation of permafrost, which negatively affects the structural integrity of infrastructure. We estimate potential changes in stability of Russian urban infrastructure built on permafrost in response to the projected climatic changes provided by six preselected General Circulation Models (GCMs) participated in the most recent Climate Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5). The analysis was conducted for the entire extent of the Russian permafrost-affected area. According to our analysis a significant (at least 25%) climate-induced reduction in the urban infrastructure stability throughout the Russian permafrost region should be expected by the mid-21st century. However, the high uncertainty, resulting from the GCM-produced climate projections, prohibits definitive conclusion about the rate and magnitude of potential climate impacts on permafrost infrastructure. Results presented in this paper can serve as guidelines for developing adequate adaptation and mitigation strategy for Russian northern cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History instructs us that electrical power can be decarbonized in less than a dozen years with combinations of renewable and nuclear energy, but exaggerated fears of the latter have made it too costly and unpopular to develop and deploy in much of the world, allowing Russia and China to capture the nuclear export market. If humanity is genuinely serious about rapid decarbonization to avoid the worst health and climate risks, it will need to take steps to rapidly improve and deploy both nuclear and renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the European Union's (EU) energy relations with Russia through new institutionalist concepts that understand ideas to be powerful within policymaking processes, in conferring credibility on certain governance norms as well as in contesting existing institutions. Explanations of the deterioration in EU–Russia energy relations have emphasized divergence in perspectives on energy, and how it should be governed, between these actors. Here it is argued that the proliferation of different ideas about energy within EU institutions has significant implications for this relationship. The paper analyses EU energy policy as a whole, including climate policy, and outlines what ideas have been influential over policymaking processes and with what consequences. Internal ideological differences challenge the dominance and credibility of market liberal ideas and policies, the EU's ability to speak with one voice in energy and attest to an increasingly complex and contradictory EU energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the problem of dissemination of the most dangerous agricultural pests in Western Siberia in recent decades, especially the rapid expansion of Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say) to the north and east. The dissemination of Bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus Sav.) follows a new regional crop - haricot bean. The paper analyses the reasons for pests' dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article views regional and sectoral peculiarities of Agenda-2030 realization in Russian agricultural sector. The aim of the research was to determine the degree of the SDGs achievement in agribusiness on national, regional and local levels in the absence of quantitative markers. Based on the conclusion on insufficient integration of the SDGs in business strategies, we proposed the six-staged scheme to promote and realize the SDGs in national agri-food system, involving all the parties concerned. In the course of the scheme realization, we conducted the survey among the representatives of agribusiness from 26 regions, located in four agro-climatic zones of Stavropolskii krai. The results provided quantitative assessment of the SDGs awareness degree in agri-food sphere and demonstrated its low level. Also, we managed to get information on the goals of high priority for the experts (SDGs 8, 3, 6, 4, 11, 7, 9 and 16) and distinguish the importance of social, economic and ecological problems, which prevent the SDGs realization in agricultural sector and rural areas. The problems of negative impact of climatic changes, rise in price for goods and services, limited resources for the production improvement and innovation turned out to be the major ones in the view of the experts. The main result of the research consists in providing the quantitative data and determination of the priority areas for the sustainable development in the regional agricultural sector, with the aim of further transformation of the policy to achieve the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates that Russia's climate positioning has been based on nuanced and powerful conceptions of national interests, international engagement, and Russia's role in the world. Domestically, climate mitigation actions are driven by concerns of economic competitiveness, energy efficiency, and security interests. Internationally, Russia's active participation is offset by inertia, disagreements, and ambivalence in adopting and implementing climate policy. Russia's climate approach is a consequence of contradictions between the structure of the economy, domestic preferences, and an ambitious foreign policy, as Russian leaders seek to advance the country's image as an assertive global actor in solving pressing world problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the fact that changes in the European energy market can have significant geopolitical effects, it might seem like EU emissions-cutting policies motivated by climate change could cause serious changes in the EU–Russia relationship. However, a closer inspection of the history of this relationship shows that there are far more influential factors affecting the situation, first and foremost the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Palsa peatlands occupy extensive areas in Western Siberia which is one of the most paludified flat lowlands of the world. Climatic changes in Western Siberia are more dramatic compared with other northern regions, and changes in palsa landscapes are more notable due to the severe continental climate here. The distribution, peculiarities and climate-indication capacities of West Siberian palsas are poorly known outside Russia. Thus, Western Siberia is one of the most interesting vast natural polygons for studying climate-driven changes in the landscapes. This paper aims to fill the gap in knowledge on West Siberian palsas and their capacity as a climate regulator. We present issues in distribution, typology and cyclic development of palsa peatlands and their actual climate-driven changes. We also analyse the role of palsas in the atmospheric cycle of CO2, and the hydrology of the palsa regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographic information system (GIS) 'Permafrost of the Usa River Basin' was developed based on data for permafrost distribution and temperatures obtained for the period of recent warming (1970-1995). A total of 70 long-term permafrost monitoring sites and meteorological records (ground temperatures), representing all major landforms and parent materials in the Usa Basin, were used to calibrate the temperature data from 500 boreholes and to select 131 of these as reference boreholes. Data for permafrost characteristics were only derived for those years during which measured ground temperature (expressed in °C) deviated no more than 10% from long-term means. Therefore, they represent average conditions for the period 1970-1995. This approach also indicates that the dataset is particularly accurate around the transition from thawed to perennially frozen ground. The standardization also allowed the examination of anomalies in permafrost conditions due to landform, exposure, parent material, vegetation cover, etc. To up-scale the specific ground temperature data, a scheme was developed subdividing the region into relatively homogeneous geomorphological-geological units with respect to geocryological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security interests of Arctic states are increasingly described as intertwined. The Arctic is seen either as a region where great power rivalries or resource wars are likely, or as a part of the world defined by cooperative traits and shared security interests. These depictions often implicitly lean on notions of a security region and regionalism, albeit without utilizing such frameworks to unpack security interactions in the Arctic. An increasing number of Arctic-focused scholars refer to the Arctic as a region in terms of security interests, but is this really the case if we make use of the different ways a security region has been outlined as an analytical tool? Leaning on different levels of analysis, this article questions several assumptions underpinning recent work on military security in the Arctic, advancing our understanding of security dynamics in the north and adding to our knowledge of security regions as a concept within international studies. It is argued that descriptions of the Arctic as a new security region are based on mixing and equating two distinct features of the region: the changing climate and related increases in economic ventures; and Russia's military build-up and regional hegemony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although scientists disagree about the rate at which Arctic ice is melting, climate change will greatly alter the northern latitudes in coming decades if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed. Many of the expected changes will be negative; already, permafrost is melting in Siberia, and apartments and factories are sinking into quagmires. The melting of Arctic ice, however, will also open sea-lanes to shipping and allow access to enormous oil and gas reserves beneath the Arctic Ocean. The prospect of increased Arctic commerce brings with it competition among countries and companies for control of the area’s riches, and international competition always carries the possibility of conflict. Three authors, all experts in national security and the Arctic, explore the military, diplomatic, environmental, and economic outlook for the Arctic in 2030: from Russia, Yury Morozov (2012); from Canada, Rob Huebert (2012); and from the United States, George Backus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors studied the relative predictive powers of several bioclimatic indices as predictors of population mortality during heat waves. Daily mean and maximum values of air temperature, Humidex, apparent, and physiological equivalent temperatures (PETs) were examined. The numbers of daily deaths and daily meteorological data in Rostov-on-Don (southern Russia) were used. The study period spanned April-September between 1999 and 2011. The eight selected bioclimatic indices were used to identify heat waves and calculate the expected increases in mortality during such events from Poisson generalized linear model of daily death counts. All of the bioclimatic indices considered were positively and significantly associated with mortality during heat waves. The best predictor was chosen from a set of similar models by maximization of relative mortality risk estimates. Having compared the relative increases and their significance levels in several cause- and age-specific mortality rates, the authors concluded that PET was the most powerful predictor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a reprint of the article "Can We Control the Arctic Climate," by P. M. Borisov, which appeared in the "Soviet" journal. It discusses the problems of the climatic changes in Russia and other places in the Arctic regions which are caused by the expanding populations. The author examines the efficacy of transporting Atlantic Ocean water across the Arctic Basin to improve the climate in the areas.

Two decades after the end of the Soviet Union, the municipalities on the Kola Peninsula are still adapting to the effects of shifting to a market economy and to the end of the Cold War and the diminished emphasis on defense installations on the edge of the Arctic. The corresponding issues of climate change and the measurable effects of warming temperatures in the Arctic seem to take second place in the plans of cities in Russia's high north, compared to the challenges of population decline, shrinking labor needs, and aging infrastructure. Municipalities in the Murmansk Oblast are compared on dimensions of demographic trends, development goals and strategies, and climate change experience and adaptive planning. Findings reveal a continued decline in population from net outmigration and low or negative natural increase and the development issues related to market economy forces and monoindustrial cities outweigh climate change as current issues of importance in these municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several issues associated with the strategic partnership of Russia and China. It mentions the role of Arctic climate change posing challenge for the bilateral relation of Russia and China as the disagreements regarding access to sea lanes, fisheries and energy resources have evolved in recent times. Also discussed are the issues related with the shipping.

The proposition that EU climate policy represents a threat to Russia’s gas exports to the EU, and therefore to Russia’s energy security, is critically examined. It is concluded that whilst the greater significance of climate-change action for Russian energy security currently lies not in Russia’s own emissions reduction commitments but in those of the EU, an even greater threat to Russia’s energy security is posed by the development of the EU internal gas market and challenges to Russia’s participation in that market. However, the coming decades could see Russia’s energy security increasingly influenced by climate-change action policies undertaken by current importers of Russian gas such as the EU, and potential importers such as China and India. The challenge for Russia will be to adapt to developments in energy security and climate-change action at the European and global levels. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Russian interest in the High North is not centered on its supposedly vast natural resources, which have been exaggerated and overhyped. Much more important are the strategic implications of climate change in the region. As regional ice retreats, a new frontline is emerging with which Kremlin strategists must contend. Potentially it will bring important new benefits to Russia, such as the logistical ability to move resources from east to west much more easily than before, but it will also open a gateway through which a hypothetical aggressor could attack the Russian mainland. The outside world needs to recognise these strategic implications of climate change and find ways of reassuring Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ways in which Russian public discussion translates climate change into a policy problem that identifies the phenomenon and defines a course of action are examined in order to shed light on the underlying structures of belief, perception and appreciation that shape Russian conduct toward global climate policy. The discussion distinguishes between three frames: the mission, national interest and duty. The mission frame defines climate policy as a means to improve Russia's international image, while the national interest frame focuses on economic and political costs. Only the duty frame defines climate change as a problem that Russia must help solve. Despite these differences, a central premise of all three frames is the centuries-old idea of Russia as a Great Power with a special mission in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the politics of Russian climate change by pinpointing how global warming has been framed over a seven year period in a government-owned, leading daily newspaper, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, and how climate experts have intervened in such framings. Russia's climate politics is first summarised and then three framings of climate change are identified and examined. Secondly, the role that expert voices play in the framing of climate change is discussed. The article concludes with a presentation of key findings about scientists' involvement in public debate and hypotheses about the overall trajectory of Russian climate politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeozoological, palaeobotanical and geochemical analyses of Lower Permian to the lowermost Cretaceous sediments exposed in the southern Russian Far East (Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka superterrane and the Sergeevka terrane), and higher latitude areas (northern Russian Far East and Spitsbergen) suggest a direct relationship with global climatic events defined by the data from oxygen-isotopic palaeotemperatures. Several positive carbon-isotopic anomalies discovered within the uppermost Cisuralian, Guadalupian, early Lopingian and Aalenian-Bajocian intervals are possibly connected to strong hydrological intermixing of oceanic waters under the influence of considerable thermal gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, mainly GIS software is used for exploration and visualization of spatially distributed data. At the same time an approach based on the combination of advanced web technologies along with the standard rules of information-computational system development is more suitable for performing tasks requiring more sophisticated data analysis. In this report, functional capabilities of the information-computational system created for meteorological and climatic data processing and online visualization are introduced. The system represents a dedicated web-interface, which allows performing of mathematical and statistical operations on the diverse observational and model data and to determine characteristics of global and regional climate changes. Currently such datasets as NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, ECMWF ERA-40 Reanalysis, etc. are available for processing. In particular, the system allows calculating of temporal average and extremum values, time trends, etc. at arbitrary spatial and temporal ranges for different meteorological parameters. The possibility of online intercomparison of meteorological characteristics calculated for different datasets is also realized in the system. The final version of the system being developed is supposed to find application in meteorological and climatological investigations and should help researchers to save time during performing routine analytical tasks by simplifying handling of huge arrays of spatially distributed meteorological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on climate cooperation focuses primarily on intergovernmental institutions and national policies. Few studies have examined the 'second image reversed' question: what is the impact of the international climate regime on domestic politics? This article examines the impact of the Kyoto Protocol on climate politics in Russia. Russia is an important case study both from a theoretical and policy perspective. Analytically, the case provides an opportunity to assess alternative theories of regime impact, given Russia's early scepticism about climate change and insistence on unrestrained economic growth. The study finds that the Kyoto Protocol influenced political interests in Russia first and foremost through the redistribution of resources and potential payoffs, but also through more subtle mechanisms such as capacity building and the diffusion of economic assessments. The result was a realignment of powerful domestic interests in a direction that has supported the main institutions of the climate regime and pushed for its implementation. Documenting the domestic political impacts of the Kyoto Protocol has policy implications for the conditions under which Russia and other large emerging markets focused on growth might undertake obligations to strengthen climate cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large investments are needed to modernise the Russian electricity production sector. To finance these investments, Russia is liberalising its electricity market. Moreover, it has recently established regulatory frameworks to promote alternative modes of electricity production. European energy concerns are expected to play an important role in this modernisation process by transferring capital and energy efficient technologies. The readiness of these companies to invest will, however, depend on the predictability and credibility of the investment climate. This article identifies potential sources of uncertainty and regulatory changes that may affect investments in electricity production in Russia. It focuses in particular on electricity reform, climate policy and so-called 'first-generation' reforms. It then examines the extent to which international investment law, especially the investment regime of the Energy Charter Treaty, offers adequate protection against the risks of regulatory change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author surveys work currently under way in the Russian Federation to assess the interrelationships between climate and permafrost and its use as a basis for forecasting change in permafrost conditions. Long-term trends in air temperature, precipitation, and snow depth provide the basic information for efforts to reconstruct past climates and for the formulation of numerical atmospheric radiation-circulation models, utilized in climate forecasting. Forecast and observed trends in climate are compared with data from permafrost stations that indicate trends in ground temperature and permafrost conditions. Such comparisons provide the basis for forecasts of anticipated change in Russian permafrost by the years 2020 and 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Kyoto Protocol, a Joint Implementation project is a mechanism whereby one industrialized country can finance a greenhouse gas-reducing project in another country. The investors in the project can, in return, claim credits for the reduction in carbon (C) emissions and carbon sequestration. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the potential for carbon sequestration from such projects. The study covers afforestation with Scots pine on unforested land (burnt areas, cleared spaces, gaps, etc.) in the Povolgie region of Russia. Three scenarios were compared: (1) no afforestation (baseline scenario); (2) afforestation with pine, and carbon sequestration only considering above-ground tree biomass; (3) afforestation with pine, but accounting for carbon sequestration in all pools. On average, carbon sequestration in the above-ground tree biomass could be around 80 t C ha-1 during 50 years of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantation growth with 54 t C ha-1 in equilibrium storage. A considerable amount of carbon will be bound in the lower layer of the pine forest stand (24 t C ha-1), which is usually underestimated in afforestation Joint Implementation projects, and wood-based products (35 t C ha-1). Sequestered carbon in equilibrium storage is allocated in the following proportions: 46% in pine stands, 21% in the lower level and 33% in wood-based products. To extend the carbon sequestration, harvested wood should be used to manufacture products for long-term use. The results indicate good potential for such projects in the investigated territory in a long-term perspective, in compliance with international costs for sequestered carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warns of the anthropogenic cause of climatic change. Impact of greenhouse gas emissions; Alternative development paths to achieve mitigation; Role of Russia.

The article offers information on the focus of the next special issue of the periodical. It is posed that the next special issue will deal with climate change indicators. Moreover, guest editors of this issue will be Allan Carroll of the Canadian Forest Service and Paul Sammarco of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON). It is also forwarded that the 16th International Conference on Environmental Bioindicators is slated on June 9-12, 2008 in Russia.