Weather in the house: why monitoring of climatically active substances is needed
The Government has approved an action plan for the implementation of an innovative project to create a national monitoring system for climate-active substances in 2026-2030. The development of this system is one of the necessary measures to achieve the goal of creating a stable and efficiently developing economy. Izvestia investigated how the results would be used by the state, as well as what environmental and environmental consequences this could lead to.
Causes of development
The innovative project "Unified National Monitoring System for Climatically Active Substances" is of national importance and several departments are involved in its implementation, the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told Izvestia.
Information about the state of the Earth's system and its dynamics, obtained during observations, calculations and forecasts of the Russian Hydrometeorological Service, is used as a basic resource in the formation and implementation of the country's climate policy, as well as in the analysis of its effectiveness. Based on these materials, decisions are made aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting the economy to climate change and limiting the negative impact of human activities on the climate.
"In addition, one of the tasks of the innovation project for 2026-2030 is to take into account the absorption of carbon dioxide by ecosystems based on ground—based data from the Federal Forestry Agency and remote sensing data. At the first stage, work was carried out on land in the following categories: permanent forest lands, cultivated lands, hayfields and pastures," the ministry said.
At the next stage, it is planned to determine more precisely the role of soils of forest areas and agricultural lands in carbon sequestration processes. This is necessary to improve the accuracy of calculations of greenhouse gas volumes absorbed by controlled ecosystems in Russia.
The implementation of the second stage will create conditions for the international recognition of observation programs, data used and methodological approaches of the National Monitoring System for Climatically Active Substances, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment noted. It will also provide reliable information for analyzing the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions and uptake between emission sources and managed natural systems.
The Russian climate monitoring system is primarily designed to provide government agencies, businesses and citizens with reliable information about climate change and its consequences, the Ministry of Energy told Izvestia. These data are planned to be used to transition the economy to low-carbon technologies, increase resilience to extreme weather events, and substantiate Russia's position in international climate negotiations.
"Thus, when preparing our country's statement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), which includes a target for greenhouse gas emissions in Russia for 2035, monitoring system tools have already been used," the ministry said.
System implementation
The results of the functioning of the national system for tracking climatically significant substances will be in demand by the authorities when making management decisions at both the federal and regional levels, Alexandra Avdonina, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor, senior Researcher at the IPEI Presidential Academy, told Izvestia.
"It will become a base for analytics and scientific justifications taking into account climate threats, which will make it possible to more accurately plot the trajectories of the country's socio—economic development and take into account the climate impact when preparing investment, infrastructure and industry programs," the expert believes.
In the international context, according to her, such a system will provide the opportunity to independently obtain calculations and forecasts that do not rely on foreign sources. This will strengthen Russia's position in global climate discussions and negotiations on sustainable development, including dialogue within the framework of key international agreements. Having your own data will increase the independence and persuasiveness of arguments in the foreign policy arena.
— The practical consequence of the introduction of the system will be an increase in the sustainability of agriculture, — said Alexandra Avdonina. — Producers will receive tools for a more balanced choice of agricultural technologies, climate risk management and adaptation to changing natural conditions, including threats from pests and diseases.
An additional effect will be to reduce the damage caused by extreme natural events. By more accurately identifying high-risk areas, it will be possible to develop early warning systems, which is important both for environmental protection and for economic stability, given the increasing role of climate factors in business and finance.
At the same time, the implementation and further functioning of such a system will require significant investments, Alexandra Avdonina believes. Resources will be required to create a technical base, develop methodologies, train specialists, and provide long-term support for all monitoring elements.
The launch of such a system will help make the Russian economy more resilient to climate change, Nikolai Shmatkov, an expert at the Popular Front, told Izvestia. Analytics", member of the Public Council of the Federal Forestry Agency. Collecting and analyzing data on greenhouse gas emissions will make it possible to take real measures to reduce them and adapt various industries to the negative consequences.
In addition, the system will provide an opportunity to develop understandable and reliable climate forecasts and practical steps to curb climate change.
"In particular, this will help ensure that the role of Russian forests as one of the most important sinks and sources of greenhouse gases will not be underestimated and there will be incentives to reorient forestry objectives from purely resource—based to more comprehensive, taking into account the climate component," he explained.
According to him, the role of forests in the carbon balance is determined by the methods of their use. In some practices, they accumulate and retain greenhouse gases, while in others they themselves become a source of emissions. Emissions reduction is achieved, in particular, by preserving untouched natural areas, including permafrost forests, as well as through effective forest fire prevention measures.
The plan adopted by the government looks timely and useful, Andrei Zhukovsky, a leading researcher at the Institute of Regional Economics and Inter-Budgetary Relations at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. It improves coordination between departments in industry, agriculture and other sectors, and sets clear development guidelines for the coming years, including investments in science and innovation.
The document will also help to update sectoral strategies, which will make it possible to set goals more clearly and better evaluate results, especially in the agricultural sector, the expert stressed. For agriculture, climate data and monitoring systems are important in investment planning, profit forecasting, and risk management.
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