Low-carbon economy: problems and prospects of development in Russia

Objective: to systematize trends in the low-carbon economy in Russia and to identify drivers and inhibitors for its further development.Methods: description and comparison were used to identify the main trends in the low-carbon economy; the principal component method was used to classify specific indicators of resource and energy efficiency and to identify the key factors in the formation of a low-carbon economy.Results: the analysis of the dynamics of specific indicators of the low-carbon economy development in Russia showed a decrease in energy intensity, an increase in the electric power of labor in the industrial sector and the use of renewable energy sources, an increase in total greenhouse gas emissions and in the formation of production and consumption waste. Based on the principal component method, the author proposes a method for classifying the specific indicators and the key development factors and calculating an integral indicator of the low-carbon economy development. The key factors of the low-carbon economy development are identified: energy consumption and the ecological footprint of production, as well as inhibitors - consumption of fuel and energy resources per employee, total greenhouse gas emissions, and a low degree of waste disposal. Based on the analysis and modeling results, we suggest ways to improve efficiency in the sphere of resource and energy saving.Scientific novelty: the article for the first time proposed and tested the method of calculating the integral indicator for a low- carbon economy, taking into account the integral factors - energy consumption and the ecological footprint of production. Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in the development of programs and projects in the field of resource efficiency and reduction of negative impacts on the environment in the real sector of the economy.