Russian Prime Minister Russian Dmitry Medvedev has approved a national action plan for the first phase of adapting to climate change.
Medvedev's order, dated December 25, was published on the government's website on January 4.
It outlines "economic and social measures taken by federal and regional executive entities to reduce the vulnerability of Russia's population, economy and national objects to the results of climate change, as well as to use possible favorable opportunities coming out of such change."
It says Russia's federal government must adopt measures to cope with climate change by the end of September 2021. Regional authorities were told to do so by May 10, 2022.
According to the document, dangers posed by climate change to Russian regions include an increased frequency of droughts, floods, and wildfires, deteriorating permafrost in the northern regions, and the spread of infectious and parasitic diseases."
It says potential "positive" short-term outcomes of climate change include reduced energy consumption for heating, improved cargo transportation in the Arctic due to melting ice, easier access to the continental shelf of Russia in the Arctic Ocean, and the expansion of crop cultivation and livestock production in some areas.
