The Arctic is warming twice as fast compared to the rest of the World. The Arctic ocean contains gigatons of organic carbon and methane hydrates. Warming may induce liberation of this methane into the atmosphere. This greenhouse gas would start a positive feed-back: the warmer water – the faster methane emission, the higher concentration the…
Category: Russia
More than meets the Northern eyes – climate change perceptions in Northern Russia
Dr. Anisimov and Orttung gave an insight into the public perceptions of climate change in Northern Russia. While Northern Russia demonstrates high rates of climate change, regional adaptation policies are yet to be established, and public views on the issue are poorly known. Russia is important in international climate discussions as the country occupies a…
Bring me sunshine – solar energy pioneering clean energy transition in Russia
Boute and Zhikharev analysed clean energy transition in Russia. They argue that the recent development of the solar energy industry in the country dependent on traditional energy sources is caused by the vested interests of the producers. They looked at the competition between renewable energy sources under the Russian subsidyscheme and found that the manufacturing…
Are Russians eco-conscious?
Kurbanov and Prokhoda recently studied the level of climate change awareness among Russians. They analysed the relationship between ecological knowledge and attitudes towards environment with an ‘ecological behaviour model’. The model considers ecological knowledge as a basis for environmental friendly behaviour and active engagement in public action towards climate change. They explore the links between the awareness…
Fair weather friends across Russian climate zones
Zolotrylin et al assessed the impact of climate change on Russians’ well-being in the face of increasing climate extremes. They measured the average daily temperatures, the characteristics of heat and cold waves, and precipitation over the period 1991–2013 across the country. The results show the significant increase of extreme weather events in Russia in comparison…
Warming up and powering down – vulnerability of the Russian power industry to the climate change
Researchers from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute have assessed the climate-related impacts on the Russian power industry up to 2050. They argue that current climate change deteriorates the efficiency of the power industries on the entire territory of Russia. They used a physical simulation approach to replicate a response of the steam and gas turbines performance to the…
Shiny happy rivers in Altai? Hydroenvironmental tension and recreational attractiveness
Chernova and other researchers from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science and Gorno-Altaisk State University are studying the hydroclimatic conditions of the protected areas in Russian Altai. The Russian part of Altai is a region with unique landscapes which attracts tourists from all over the world. The regional natural heritage has a high…
Between two extremes: temperature shocks and violence in Russia
Whilst global climate science states that an increase in frequency of extremely hot or cold days is one of the most challenging impacts of climate change, the impact of extreme temperature on human health remains understudied (IPCC, 2018). Researchers based at IOS, Leibniz and NOVA SBE, Portugal examined social costs of climate change in Russia,…
Is climate change too expensive for Russia?
Otrachshenko and Popova, from Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, have recently published a paper which discusses whether Russian economy can adapt to global warming. On 21st September 2019, Russia signed the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which sets a long-term goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 2°C until 2030 and manifests…
Islands in the Moscow Sun
The research study highlights the changes of Urban Heat Islands (UHI) and Urban Dry Islands (UDI) intensities over the city of Moscow, Russia during the period from the end of 19th century until past years. The major reason for this is the intense growth of the city throughout the past decades. UHI can be described…
Russian Climate Research 