Russia's "symmetrical answer" to the "hydrocarbon protectionism" of the West is this: Moscow may impose export duties on timber, Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Yuri Trutnev said after the latest session of the National Security Council.
Global warming is gradually turning into a stumbling stone in the defence of Russia's export interests. A number of Western countries have orchestrated real games around the "climate factor". Referring to the fact that Russia, allegedly, is controlling insufficiently harmful emissions into the atmosphere, they are trying to limit the supplies of Russian metals to the world markets and also the development of Arctic deposits. According to President Dmitry Medvedev, such a policy may lead to the strengthening of unscrupulous competition towards Russia. And Moscow, of course, will toughly react to such attempts.
Export duties on timber may become only Point No. 1 on the list of return restrictions. As is known, Russia is the largest supplier of wood to a number of countries. However, timber is mainly exported as raw materials, not as finished products. The introduction of duties will reduce considerably the revenues of dozens of factories and plants in various parts of the world, which are prospering at the expense of cheap Russian timber. Parallel with this, Russia will have an additional stimulus to develop its own wood-working industry and to supply finished products and materials for export.
Russia should adequately assess the situation, emerging outside its borders, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Vladimir Golovnev stresses:
"We should understand clearly that the world is actually a competitive space, where countries defend the interests of their own producers. And all of us, including government bodies, must carefully keep track of the situation in this or that segment of the world market. And if necessary, make well-balanced steps in return".
After the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference proved a failure, accusations in Russia's address - since Russia is regarded as one of the main sources of global warming - are being made more and more often now. Meaning that Russia's industrial emissions into the atmosphere do irreparable damage to the world climate balance. However, the fact that Russia has adopted its own Climate Doctrine, which is tough enough, is ignored here. And according to this doctrine, there're plans to reduce, shortly enough, harmful emissions into the atmosphere by nearly one-fourth. The main principle Russia plans to remain committed to is this: to keep the balance between its contribution to the world ecological security and the preservation of the competitiveness of its own economy. Actually, these two, which make a unity, amid the development of innovation technologies, serve as a basis for Russian modernization. However, a constructive "climate" dialogue with Russia is not beneficial to everybody.
The main inter-state differences will emerge not only around the export potential of the Russian metallurgy but also over the issue of Russia's access to the gigantic Arctic resources of oil and gas. It has the right to develop the Arctic resources on a par with the other polar states - such as Canada, the USA, Denmark, and Norway. Not all people think so though. That is why they persistently continue playing the "climate card".
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