July 15, 2021—Top officials from the old Cold War’s top superpowers said they see an issue on which they can work together: climate change.
The optimistic outlook came during U.S. climate envoy John Kerry‘s four-day visit to Moscow to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other government officials. The countries they represent produce the second and fourth greatest amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, respectively. China is number one and India is third.*
Kerry said, “we believe that there is space for us to cooperate on this,” as reported by Radio Free Europe. Lavrov agreed that such discussions are a positive move forward.
The detente on climate change is a bright spot during a time of heightened tensions between the powers due to issues including Russian interference in U.S. elections, as accused by U.S. intelligence sources.
Arctic Exploration
Russia potentially has the most to gain from climate change. It has the world’s largest arctic coastline, stretching more than 24 thousand km. It has been taking advantage of decreased polar ice by expanding its presence in the Arctic Ocean with increased military and oil exploration activity in the Arctic circle. Similarly, as the Russian permafrost thaws, it may become arable land, making Russia a greater exporter of agricultural products.
However, the thaw can also damage Russian infrastructure and thus cause environmental “devastation,” according to the Arctic Institute. The infrastructure was designed and built for different climatic conditions.
Further, permafrost thaw worldwide also increases global warming as the land yields carbon that was stored in the frozen ground. “Permafrost warming has the potential to amplify global climate change, because when frozen sediments thaw it unlocks soil organic carbon,” wrote Boris Biskaborn in a study in the journal Nature.
*In millions of tons as reported by World Population Review.
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