Russia may not join global climate change deal

Russia may not join a new global deal to fight climate change if it is against Moscow's interests and will set a national mid-term target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions next year, an official said yesterday.

"If the conditions for the international agreement are not favourable for us we may not join such an agreement," Alexander Pankin, deputy head of the Russian delegation at UN-led December 1-12 climate negotiations in Poland, said.

If a new UN climate pact meant to be agreed in Copenhagen at end-2009 was unfair and failed to set comparable commitments for countries according to their economic and social standing, Russia would not sign, he said.

"If you are better off than me, why should I make a stronger commitment than you," he said.

Mr Pankin said Russia's ambition was to stabilise emissions at around 30 per cent below 1990 and then reduce them further but did not give a percentage about possible cuts by 2020.