On April 22, a meeting of the Board of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) was held under the leadership of Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin. It was also attended by Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, and Igor Shumakov, Head of Roshydromet. In 2024, the Federal Service turns 190 years old.
Speaking with a welcoming speech, Maxim Reshetnikov noted that Roshydromet is a reliable partner of the Ministry of Economic Development on the climate agenda. The Federal Service regularly provides meteorological data for the stable operation of the entire economy of the country: aviation and maritime transportation, agriculture and forestry, energy, construction, housing and communal services, and other industries. Based on the data of the Service, the Ministry of Economic Development prepares measures to adapt to climate change, relies on them in developing an Operational Plan and implementing a low-carbon Development Strategy.
"The risks and negative consequences of climate change are increasing over the years. In many ways, this has determined the demand of business and government for more detailed and in-depth knowledge about the global climate system. And already in 2022, in cooperation with Roshydromet, leading scientists, we have begun to create the Russian Climate Monitoring System (VIP GZ)," Maxim Reshetnikov said.
The project is a key element of the Strategic Initiative "Low Carbon Development Policy". And it is already making a significant contribution to the renewal and expansion of the Roshydromet observation network. According to Maxim Reshetnikov, the key task of the project is to clarify estimates of emissions and removals. Roshydromet will have to verify the scientific data obtained, start using qualitatively new coefficients instead of the global average values from the UN recommendations, and confirm the significant contribution of Russian forests to the balance of the planetary climate system.
The first results of this work are already available, the minister said. Thanks to the project, a preliminary reassessment of greenhouse gas uptake by forests was carried out, objective emission factors from the production of certain chemicals were calculated: according to the results of the reassessment, emissions are lower by 100 million tons/CO2-eq. The knowledge base has begun to be updated for the preparation of international reporting, planning further internal work and defining new goals within the framework of commitments under the Paris Agreement.
"The processes of climate change are complex and require constant attention. Together with Roshydromet, the expert and scientific community, we are forming tasks and a plan for their implementation for the second stage of the project in 2025-2030. The main goal of the project is to create conditions under which Roshydromet will develop on a par with advanced meteorological services," the minister concluded.
