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Survey by the Ministry of Economic Development and News Mail: 51.5% are aware of Russia's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060
The Ministry of Economic Development of Russia and "News Mail" conducted a survey of Internet users about the goals and objectives of the Strategy for Socio-Economic Development of the Russian Federation with Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions until 2050.
As a reminder, the Strategy was adopted in 2021 by the decision of the President of the Russian Federation. Its goals are to achieve carbon neutrality while maintaining sustainable economic growth, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt the economy to the global energy transition.
The Ministry of Economic Development is the regulator in the field of climate policy and oversees the creation of the "Russian Climate Monitoring System". It is designed to provide authorities, business, and the public with high-quality data on climate change and its consequences.
The survey was anonymous. Over 7 days, from April 30 to May 6, users of "News Mail" and "Weather Mail" were surveyed. In total, almost 20,000 people (19,885) took part in the survey. According to the survey results, 51.5% of the population are aware that Russia has set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
74% of respondents approve of the development of clean, renewable energy, taking into account its environmental friendliness and positive impact on the climate: solar energy, wind energy, and the construction of small hydroelectric power plants.
67% of Russians consider climate change an important issue requiring the attention of the authorities (36% — "yes", 31% — "rather yes").
63% believe that the climate affects the stability of the Russian economy as a whole: crops, infrastructure, and the operation of enterprises.
45% of the population know or have heard about carbon units trading.
Among business actions that can influence the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, respondents consider the most important:
installation of modern treatment equipment and filters — 67%;
transition to less harmful fuel and energy-efficient technologies — 52%;
planting forests and restoring ecosystems for CO₂ sequestration — 65%;
public reporting on greenhouse gas emissions — 36%.
"To reduce the vulnerability of nature and infrastructure to the negative consequences of climate change, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia is creating a climate change adaptation system, which includes national, sectoral, and regional adaptation plans. In recent years, a system for market circulation of carbon units has been formed, the Sakhalin climate experiment is being conducted, which improves people's quality of life, including by switching transport to clean types of fuel and gasifying energy facilities. Regions regularly carry out inventories of greenhouse gas emissions. These measures increase the economy's resilience to climate risks."
"The survey is timely, and its results are important for the progress of climate policy in Russia. The last few years have been a period of active lawmaking in the field of climate change mitigation and adaptation. This formed the foundation for its practical implementation. However, for the effective implementation of any policy, social trust and citizens' awareness of the relevance of the problems being solved are necessary. In this regard, the survey results are quite telling: about 2/3 consider the climate change situation serious and see a direct link between these changes not only with everyday life but also with the economy."
The jubilee Mendeleev Olympiad confirmed the status of a carbon-neutral event
Based on the results of the 60th International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad for schoolchildren, held in Moscow from April 15 to 23, 2026, a comprehensive calculation of the event's carbon footprint was performed and its full compensation was ensured. Thus, the Olympiad, organized by the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University and the Melnichenko Foundation, for the first time in its history received the status of a carbon-neutral event.
The carbon footprint calculation was carried out in accordance with the international GHG Protocol standard, taking into account Scope 3 emissions, which include the most significant sources. In particular, the assessment took into account participants' flights, ground transportation, accommodation, as well as the use of various products necessary for organizing the competition. The total amount of compensation will be about 180 tons of CO₂ equivalent. Participants' flights made the largest contribution.
The compensation occurred through the retirement of carbon units obtained from the implementation of climate projects by the partner of the Melnichenko Foundation – the Siberian Generating Company (SGC), which modernized heat supply systems in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Kemerovo, and Novosibirsk Regions. In May, the offset of the Olympiad's footprint took place on a platform in the national register of the national register of carbon units.
«Turning the Mendeleev Olympiad into a carbon-neutral format is a contribution to the formation of a new professional thinking for future scientists. We are convinced that issues of ecology and rational use of resources should become an integral part of the scientific and educational environment»
The jubilee International Mendeleev Olympiad in Moscow brought together schoolchildren from 37 countries. All 15 participants of the Russian national team won medals: 7 schoolchildren from Moscow, Samara, Magnitogorsk, and the Moscow Region received gold, and this is the best result among all participating countries in the gold medal tally. Another 8 participants of the team from Moscow, Kazan, Sirius, Saransk, and St. Petersburg were awarded silver medals.
Sovcombank has offset the carbon footprint of its operations for 2025
Sovcombank Group has acquired carbon footprint management instruments — carbon units and green electricity certificates. This allowed the bank to fully offset greenhouse gas emissions from its operations — both direct (from its own energy sources) and indirect (from consumed electricity).
How direct emissions were offsetTo achieve this, the bank was credited with carbon units obtained from the implementation of Russian climate projects. These projects are aimed at improving the energy efficiency of large enterprises in the country and have been registered in the Carbon Units Registry, which confirms their effectiveness. The retirement was carried out by Carbon Zero, a company with extensive experience in creating low-carbon solutions.
How "green" electricity was ensuredSovcombank has fully transitioned its electricity consumption to renewable sources using Carbon Zero green electricity certificates. The certificates were obtained from the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Plant (part of En+ Group). 100% of the bank's electricity consumption is provided from zero-greenhouse gas emission sources. The bank purchased and retired certificates confirming that the electricity was produced from renewable sources in accordance with Russian legislation. The operator of the generation attributes registry is the Energy Certification Center (ECC LLC), authorized by the Government of the Russian Federation. It registered the purchase and confirmed that the electricity consumed by the bank was indeed obtained from "green" sources.
Systemic work since 2020Since 2020, Sovcombank has been annually assessing its carbon footprint — both direct and indirect emissions (including those related to the activities of suppliers and borrowers). The results are disclosed in the annual report. In 2021, the bank set a goal to become carbon-neutral in its operations (direct and indirect energy emissions) by 2030, and across all three emission categories by 2050. Since 2022, Sovcombank has been annually offsetting the carbon footprint from its branch operations. The bank became the first systemically important credit institution in Russia to achieve carbon neutrality for direct and indirect energy emissions.
"Recently, thanks to stimulating regulation, the investment community has been paying increased attention to the current sustainable development market environment. This is a good reason to remember the comprehensive approach to this sector's work. Sovcombank is not only a market leader in organizing the placement of sustainable development bonds, a leader in providing consulting services for sustainable finance, and a leader in the Bank's key areas of social investment, but it also confirms its status as a carbon-neutral bank for the fourth consecutive year. Offsetting all emissions from our operations — including fuel combustion and electricity consumption for 2025 — is part of our systemic work to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. We will continue to implement best sustainable development practices and support the sustainability of the Russian economy."
"Congratulations to Sovcombank on another achievement in implementing its sustainable development strategy. It is important that this is a systemic effort by the bank over several years in the decarbonization instruments market — from green electricity certificates to carbon units. Russian markets are already showing a certain maturity: the necessary regulatory framework has been formed, and state registries ensure the transparency of operations. Under these conditions, companies' access to proven and comprehensive solutions becomes key. At Carbon Zero, we focus on providing such access by combining instruments, infrastructure, and expertise for the implementation of decarbonization projects."
"The Carbon Units Registry highly values the Bank's systemic approach to carbon footprint management. We consider the implementation of such practices as a significant contribution to the formation of a responsible and transparent climate policy."
"Many different instruments may be required to achieve carbon neutrality, and En+, as the world's largest private producer of renewable energy, is actively developing them for the Russian market. It is important that more and more companies in various sectors, including banking, are choosing green certificates to achieve their climate goals. Such deals support the emerging carbon market in Russia and show that domestic mechanisms work and open the opportunity for companies of any scale to take responsibility for their carbon footprint."
"The Energy Certification Center, as the operator of the electricity origin certification system, welcomes this step by Sovcombank towards forming our common sustainable future. We hope that in the future, Sovcombank will continue to both provide financial support to renewable and low-carbon energy projects and ensure its own energy consumption with clean generation."
Operator
Offsetting of carbon units for the compensation of the carbon footprint of organization
On 01.06.2026, CARBON ZERO LLC in accordance with paragraph 60 of the Rules for the creation and maintenance of the carbon units registry, as well as conducting operations with carbon units in the carbon units registry, has offset 2 carbon units with the following characteristics:
Carbon units number
34-2023-00000008-001
Climate project number
34-2023-00000008
Climate project name
Modernization of energetic block No. 8 of the Kostroma State District Power Plant branch of АО Inter RAO – Electric Power Plants, Kostroma Region
Offsetting of carbon units for the compensation of the carbon footprint of organization
On 01.06.2026, CARBON ZERO LLC in accordance with paragraph 60 of the Rules for the creation and maintenance of the carbon units registry, as well as conducting operations with carbon units in the carbon units registry, has offset 2 carbon units with the following characteristics:
Carbon units number
34-2023-00000008-001
Climate project number
34-2023-00000008
Climate project name
Modernization of energetic block No. 8 of the Kostroma State District Power Plant branch of АО Inter RAO – Electric Power Plants, Kostroma Region
Offsetting of carbon units for the compensation of the carbon footprint of NGES JSC
On 01.06.2026, NGES JSC in accordance with paragraph 60 of the Rules for the creation and maintenance of the carbon units registry, as well as conducting operations with carbon units in the carbon units registry, has offset 37,634 carbon units with the following characteristics:
Carbon units number
04-2023-00000012-001
Climate project number
04-2023-00000012
Climate project name
Forest climate project of the JOINT STOCK COMPANY "RUSAL KRASNOYARSK ALUMINUM PLANT" (AO RUSAL KRASNOYARSK, INN 2465000141) "Aviation fire protection of a forest area on the territory of the Nizhne-Yeniseisky forestry, Symsky district forestry, Yartsevo village, Красноярск Territory, Russia"
Stock trading
New mechanisms for exchange trading in carbon units have been introduced in Russia
For the first time in Russia, stock trading units for fulfilling quotas of the Sakhalin Climate Experiment took place
NTB held the first exchange auction of carbon units with additional delivery monitoring
