From Moscow to Copenhagen. Russian views on climate change

To fuel economic recovery and growth Russia will increase oil and gas supplies to the industrialized market economies of the Euro Atlantic in the West and the Asian Pacific growth economies in the East. Despite the post-Soviet economic collapse, Russia is still among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, after the United States, China and the European Union. Moscow's foreign economic policies are spearheaded by natural gas, a clean burning fossil fuel pivotal to world economic transition to a less carbon intensive 'green' model. Despite the adoption of a new climate-change strategy and Russia's acknowledgement that it must play a responsible role in the run up to the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Moscow's policy position is still aloof, due to geopolitical undercurrents and Russia's particular position in debates on the nature and cost of mitigation measures between industrialized countries and the emerging economies of the developing world.