COP19 (20/11/13) – Alexey Kokorin the Climate Change Programme Coordinator for WWF-Russia talks about Russia’s improved attitude to environmental protection and climate change in the last 10 years.

Ten years ago the now Russian President laughed at climate change and now he is having a special session with the state Security Council about environmental protection and climate change is being talked about as an issue. Although vast improvements still need to be made, small amounts of progress have been made in terms of awareness around the issue.

Russia needs to work on its reliance on fossil fuels as well as energy efficiency. Kokorin says that Russia must pay particular attention to mitigation and adaptation. In Russia the level of environmental degradation and loss is so significant that he believes that Russia should consider an internal mechanisms for loss and damage.