(ria.ru) – The conference in Yakutia on climate change, which will be held as part of Russia's chairmanship of the Arctic Council and will be attended by more than 200 experts from different countries, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
"A scientific and practical conference on climate change and permafrost thawing will be held in Yakutsk from March 22 to March 24, the event is aimed at finding joint practical and scientifically based solutions in terms of adapting the economy to climate change," Zakharova said during a briefing.
According to her, the thawing of permafrost is a serious challenge for the economy and the ecosystem of the Arctic.
"It should be recalled that 65% of our country's territory is located in the northern latitudes," the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added, pointing out that the rate of global warming in Russia is 2.5 times higher than the average on the planet.
She noted that the Russian side is concerned about the attempts made by Western countries to transform cooperation in the Arctic into confrontation, containment and struggle for access to natural resources.
"The conference venue was not chosen by chance - Yakutia is the largest region in the world. About 40% of the republic's territory is located beyond the Arctic Circle. Yakutsk is the world's largest city located on permafrost," Zakharova said. She added that there is a regional law on the protection of permafrost and a draft federal law on the rational use and protection of permafrost has been developed in Yakutia.
"It is expected that the conference in Yakutia will be attended by more than 200 experts from Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan and other countries. Considering that the full-scale activities of the Arctic Council are still suspended at the initiative of the Western Arctic states, the conference in Yakutia is intended to confirm that the topic of climate change will remain one of the priority areas of our work in the Arctic," the diplomat stressed.
The Arctic Council was established in 1996 at the initiative of Canada with the aim of cooperation in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development of the circumpolar regions. It includes seven more Arctic countries: Russia, USA, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The work of the Arctic Council was suspended last year in response to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
"A scientific and practical conference on climate change and permafrost thawing will be held in Yakutsk from March 22 to March 24, the event is aimed at finding joint practical and scientifically based solutions in terms of adapting the economy to climate change," Zakharova said during a briefing.
According to her, the thawing of permafrost is a serious challenge for the economy and the ecosystem of the Arctic.
"It should be recalled that 65% of our country's territory is located in the northern latitudes," the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added, pointing out that the rate of global warming in Russia is 2.5 times higher than the average on the planet.
She noted that the Russian side is concerned about the attempts made by Western countries to transform cooperation in the Arctic into confrontation, containment and struggle for access to natural resources.
"The conference venue was not chosen by chance - Yakutia is the largest region in the world. About 40% of the republic's territory is located beyond the Arctic Circle. Yakutsk is the world's largest city located on permafrost," Zakharova said. She added that there is a regional law on the protection of permafrost and a draft federal law on the rational use and protection of permafrost has been developed in Yakutia.
"It is expected that the conference in Yakutia will be attended by more than 200 experts from Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan and other countries. Considering that the full-scale activities of the Arctic Council are still suspended at the initiative of the Western Arctic states, the conference in Yakutia is intended to confirm that the topic of climate change will remain one of the priority areas of our work in the Arctic," the diplomat stressed.
The Arctic Council was established in 1996 at the initiative of Canada with the aim of cooperation in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development of the circumpolar regions. It includes seven more Arctic countries: Russia, USA, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The work of the Arctic Council was suspended last year in response to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
