Victoria Panova Took Part in a Roundtable Discussion «Climate Policy of BRICS Nations: The Perspectives and Prospects for The Development of The Green Agenda» at The Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow
27/04/2024
On April 19, round table «Climate Policy of BRICS Nations: The Perspectives and Prospects for The Development of The Green Agenda» took place at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
Victoria Panova, HSE Vice Rector and Head of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, was invited to the event, which was moderated by Konstantin Sukhoverkhov, RIAC programme manager.
Leading experts discussed the future of the international ecological agenda, including how the interests of BRICS will be complied with regard to economic differences between member states and which cooperation patterns Russia should prioritize during its BRICS Chairship in 2024. Vice Rector of the HSE University and Head of the BRICS Expert Council Victoria Panova drew attention to the need to intensify multilateral work within the framework of the group.
«Climate, equitable environmental management and energy transition are among the key issues within the framework of Russia's BRICS Chairship. Although new BRICS members have actively joined the work on climate policy, there is still a fair degree to negligence towards new initiatives. Thus, within the framework of our Chairship, we must develop clear, detailed proposals that will allow us to promote our shared vision on climate issues at the international level. I hope that this discussion will lay a solid foundation for effective climate initiatives that will be of use to all the BRICS members,» said Victoria Panova. She also added that 2023 BRICS Johannesburg Declaration places a strong emphasis on expanding collaboration with interested parties, especially to depoliticize the environmental protection agenda.
Igor Makarov, Head of the World Economy Faculty at HSE University, Head of the Working Group on Sustainable Development, Human Well-being, Environmental and Food security of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, also took part in the event. The expert drew attention to the environmental responsibility of BRICS on the global scale, and called for intensifying work in the field of climate policy.
«Climate, equitable environmental management and energy transition are among the key issues within the framework of Russia's BRICS Chairship. Although new BRICS members have actively joined the work on climate policy, there is still a fair degree to negligence towards new initiatives. Thus, within the framework of our Chairship, we must develop clear, detailed proposals that will allow us to promote our shared vision on climate issues at the international level. I hope that this discussion will lay a solid foundation for effective climate initiatives that will be of use to all the BRICS members,» said Victoria Panova. She also added that 2023 BRICS Johannesburg Declaration places a strong emphasis on expanding collaboration with interested parties, especially to depoliticize the environmental protection agenda.
Igor Makarov, Head of the World Economy Faculty at HSE University, Head of the Working Group on Sustainable Development, Human Well-being, Environmental and Food security of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, also took part in the event. The expert drew attention to the environmental responsibility of BRICS on the global scale, and called for intensifying work in the field of climate policy.
«The BRICS countries are the world's largest emitters of natural gas emissions, apart from the United States. After the expansion of the group, they account for more than 50% of global emissions. It is in the BRICS countries that the fate of our planet's climate will be decided. And this fate will be fortunate only if they can develop common approaches to reducing emissions.»
In addition, discussion participants stressed the need to work on a wide range of issues of multilateral relations in the field of nature protection and combating climate change both within the framework of BRICS and at the level of the World majority. The significant politicization of the field of green policy and its commitment to the interests of Western countries is perceived as a concerning issue. In this regard, the BRICS members need to carry out substantive work on the sovereignty of their climate and environmental initiatives.
The participants of the round table also called for intensifying contacts on the topic of climate policy at all levels. The coordinated work of civil society, academic community, the state and business is crucial to develop common sovereign approaches within the framework of BRICS. That should result in unified and transparent systems for the control of natural resources, emissions of production and consumption, as well as risk control in strategic forecasting.