VZCZCXRO9741
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHMO #3673/01 3531412
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181412Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1242
INFO RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 3047
RUEHYG/AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 3404
RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 5162
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4449
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 2033
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 1612
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1200
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1920
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 2971
RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 0798
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 1373
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 0792

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 003673 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
COPENHAGEN FOR ERIK HALL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG RS
SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE: RUSSIA'S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 
 
REF: STATE 116939 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: In response to reftel request, Post reports that 
Russia's lead agency on the political aspects of climate change is 
the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology (MNRE).  The Federal 
Service for Hydro-meteorology and Environmental Monitoring 
(Roshydromet), a semi-autonomous agency under MNRE's umbrella, 
handles scientific and technical aspects of the issue.  The Ministry 
of Economic Development handles Joint Implementation projects under 
the Kyoto Protocol and other economic issues connected with climate 
change.  The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Economic 
Development deal with energy efficiency issues.  The MFA's 
Environmental Protection Section within the Department for 
International Organizations deals with climate change issues in that 
ministry.  Russia has no plans to add climate change specialists to 
diplomatic missions.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. In response to reftel request, Post provides the following 
information on the structure of Russia's government agencies on the 
issue of climate change.  The Ministry of Natural Resources and 
Ecology (MNRE) is Russia's lead agency on climate change issues, and 
Deputy Minister Stanislav Ananyev is the government's lead official 
on those issues.  He served as Russia's delegation head at the 
recently concluded Poznan climate talks.  MNRE's Office for 
International Cooperation coordinates all international programs 
associated with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 
(UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.  As in the case of Poznan, MNRE 
will continue to appoint high-level representatives to international 
meetings and conferences to decide issues of political significance 
connected with climate change.  The Presidential Administration also 
has a department which deals with environmental protection issues. 
It reports to Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin. 
 
¶3. The Federal Service for Hydro-meteorology and Environmental 
Monitoring (Roshydromet), a semi-autonomous agency under MNRE's 
umbrella, deals with scientific and technical issues associated with 
climate change and is the nominal lead agency for UNFCCC issues.  It 
is the agency that reports on Russia's greenhouse gas emissions 
inventory and prepares national reports under the UNFCCC.  It also 
pays Russia's annual dues to UNFCCC secretariat.  This agency will 
likely retain these responsibilities for the foreseeable future. 
 
¶4. Until earlier in 2008, Roshydromet was Russia's lead agency on 
climate change.  However, Presidential decree No.724 of May 12, 
2008, "Issues of the System and Structure of Federal Bodies of 
Executive Power," incorporated Roshydromet into the MNRE system and 
transferred responsibility for climate change policy to MNRE. 
Roshydromet no longer has the authority to task other agencies with 
information requests, but must route those requests through MNRE. 
However, the Roshydromet staff working on climate issues is 
virtually unchanged.  Within the last 18 months, MNRE's Office for 
International Cooperation established a four-person section devoted 
to international cooperation in the protection of atmospheric air. 
The Ministry's Department of Nature Protection has also established 
its own Air Protection Section, also consisting of four staffers. 
Both of these sections cooperate closely with Roshydromet. 
 
¶5. The Ministry of Economic Development handles economic issues 
associated with the Kyoto Protocol, specifically Joint 
Implementation projects.  Oleg Pluzhnikov, Deputy Director of the 
Department of Property and Land Relationships and Economy of Nature 
Utilization, is our main contact on these issues.  All proposals for 
Joint Implementation projects come to this ministry for approval by 
a specially established commission.  The members of this commission 
are high-level representatives such as deputy leaders of other 
interested agencies. 
 
¶6. The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Economic Development 
are both active in the area of energy efficiency.  The Energy 
Ministry has prepared a report, to be presented at the Copenhagen 
talks next year, forecasting Russia's greenhouse gas emissions 
through 2020.  During the year remaining before the Copenhagen 
conference, the report will be circulated through the interagency 
process for consideration and elaboration. 
 
¶7. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Environmental Protection 
Section in the Department for International Organizations deals with 
climate change issues.  Aleksandr Pankin, Deputy Director of the 
 
MOSCOW 00003673  002 OF 002 
 
 
Department for International Organizations, and Oleg Shamanov, Chief 
of the Environmental Protection Section, told us that because of a 
lack of staffing, there are no plans to add climate change 
specialists to Russian diplomatic missions. 
 
¶8. On November 18, Post hosted a reception for science and 
environment officers from Moscow's diplomatic missions to encourage 
discussion of climate change and other issues.  Other than the 
United Kingdom, missions rarely approach us to discuss climate 
change.  However, the Moscow network of foreign and domestic 
environmental NGOs is quite active, particularly on the issue of 
energy efficiency as a component of the larger climate change 
question. 
 
¶9. COMMENT: Many shifts in government structures followed President 
Medvedev's transition to power in May 2008.  Our contacts are 
cautious in general about discussing these recent changes, and they 
caution that further changes are still possible, particularly as 
climate change is a complex and constantly evolving issue which 
affects a broad range of sectors of critical strategic importance to 
the Russian economy. 
 
BEYRLE