Russia and the Kyoto Protocol: Ratification and Post-Ratification Politics.

On November 5, 2004, the Russian Federation ratified the Kyoto Protocol, in effect saving the treaty following the United States’ decision not to ratify it. Why did the Russian government – with little popular pressure and little enthusiasm for environmental protection – decide to ratify Kyoto, and what measures will it take to implement the treaty? Proponents of ratification were numerous, consisting mainly of scientists, environmentalists, and business interests, but they were countered by a small number of powerful anti-Kyoto voices in the scientific and political communities who appeared to dominate the debate. In the end these battling interests had little influence on the decision due to the centralized institutional environment in Russia which allows the President to make foreign policy decisions largely single-handedly. President Putin ratified the treaty because Russia would likely experience economic gains rather than losses from Kyoto provisions, gain leverage in other international negotiations, and contribute to an image of itself as a good member of the club of advanced industrialized states. The president delayed ratification in order to clarify evidence about gains versus losses and secure concessions from other Kyoto ratifiers in other international negotiations. Implementation of the treaty is proceeding slowly, in part due to uncertainty during the ratification process, and existing efforts indicate that Russia's implementation strategy will likely be directed more at maximizing profits through treaty mechanisms to modernize industrial sectors than at maximizing emissions reductions. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]