RUSAL, Sberbank, RusNano, RusHydro and Ingosstrakh Create Initiative to Consolidate Efforts of Russian Business to Mitigate Environmental Impacts

Moscow (ots/PRNewswire) -

UC RUSAL, Sberbank, RusNano, RusHydro and Ingosstrakh have
introduced an initiative to consolidate the efforts of Russian
business to mitigate environmental impacts and help prevent climate
change by creating the 'Climate partnership of Russia'. The
initiative signals another step forward to introducing new climate
agreements at the upcoming UN Paris Climate Change Conference
("COP21").

COP21 presents an unprecedented opportunity to chart a new and
sustainable direction in the continuing development of the global
economy. The agreements that will be reached at COP21, succeeding the
Kyoto Protocol, will have to set a new global strategy to minimize
the anthropogenic impact on the environment for the carbon footprint.

Scientific studies have left little space for doubt that global
warming is a direct consequence of economic activity and development.
Under current economic development scenarios for various regions and
countries, global greenhouse gas emissions will only increase,
leading to irreversible alterations to the climate balance.

Russian business representatives welcome the united efforts of all
countries to try to mitigate the effects of climate change and have
expressed their support of the UN's climate initiatives and COP21.
COP21 provides an opportunity to deliver a historic breakthrough on
climate change.

"On behalf of the Russian companies undersigned, we call on all
parties of the international negotiation process to execute a legally
binding agreement that will allow countries to exercise joint
responsibility in addressing climate change.

"In order to ensure that any agreement reached at COP21 is as
effective as possible, we believe there is the need for a unified and
generalized format of the obligations applicable for all countries;
integrated mechanisms ensuring these obligations are delivered, as
well as comprehensive monitoring of all countries' compliance with
the commitments undertaken. We believe it is now crucial to shift our
collective focus as a business community to a low-carbon, "green"
economy, and we will strive to ensure our products comply with the
highest environmental standards. We believe that a reduction in GHG
emissions can be achieved through states working together to
introduce new, ground-breaking, environmentally friendly
technologies in the fields of energy efficiency, industrial
application of nano-modification of base materials, and through a
wider use of renewable energy," according to a joint statement issued
by Russian companies.

Concurrently, the statement stresses the importance of ensuring
equal competitive conditions at a global level for all the
participants of this process, as well as to introduce market based
mechanisms encouraging businesses to transition to new production
technologies. The "green" economy transition is impossible in the
absence of a well-balanced system of market based and fiscal
instruments which ensures that "green" investments are economically
effective, both at the international and country levels.

RUSAL, Sberbank, RusNano, RusHydro and Ingosstrakh hope that this
initiative will be broadly supported by other Russian companies.

ots Originaltext: UC RUSAL
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Elena Morenko
+7-(495)-720-51-70
elena.morenko@rusal.com