Article by Igor Makarov and Anna Shuranova in the Journal of International Analytics

Igor Makarov, Laboratory's Head, and Anna Shuranova, Lab's Research Assistant, have published an article "Climate Change as a New Factor of International Relations" in the Journal of International Analytics

The authors have studied the modern environmental and climatic problems, their impact on the international system and the prospects for international cooperation in this area. 

The main conclusions of the paper are:

1. With the climate change coming to the forefront of the global agenda, Russia finds itself in a special position. On the one hand, Russia does not belong to the number of developing countries in terms of the UNFCCC and does not need international assistance. On the other hand, the global "green" transformation affects its national interests and becomes a challenge to its socio-economic development and, partly, to its political status in the international arena.

2. The year 2022 has forced Russian political elites to rethink many aspects of the modern world order. It is likely that the global trend of decarbonisation will soon be perceived by them as something more than a fashionable political and ideological agenda designed, among other things, to hinder the development of the Russian economy. It is about the formation of a new technological mode based on low-carbon technological solutions, and the struggle for leadership in the international arena will only intensify.

3. Another priority that has become more relevant in the new geopolitical environment is the desire to intensify dialogue with non-Western countries, including on the topic of climate change, which is a clear priority for many of them. Russia is interested both in promoting an alternative decarbonisation agenda that is more in line with its national interests, and in consolidating under its leadership developing countries. These tendecies more broadly can be united by the desire to establish a polycentric world order. 

The full text of the article is available here.