Russia Is capable of changing the climate agenda — head of the VCIOM Analytical Centre spoke at the National Centre RUSSIA

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Climate management is not a new challenge, but the time has come to approach it on a global scale, stated Valery Fedorov, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Mass Communications of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and General Director of the VCIOM Analytical Centre, during the latest event in the "Dialogues about the Future" series at the National Centre RUSSIA. The meeting focused on the climate of the future, current trends and the technological capabilities of humanity.

The expert outlined the key challenges and opportunities humanity faces in this area.

"Climate management is not some pioneering innovation for humankind. On the contrary — this is something our species has been doing for at least several thousand years. But while it used to happen at the regional level, our task now is to transition to managing the climate on a global scale. We don’t have much time, as the pace of change is accelerating, and its consequences are becoming increasingly complex and severe — both for individual countries and for the planet as a whole," warned Valery Fedorov.

The expert stressed that in Russia, particular concern is caused by Siberia and the regions where the country is facing thawing permafrost, more frequent natural disasters and transformations of ecosystems.

"The second most important area after Siberia is the Arctic and the Far North. These territories occupy a vast part of our national land and are currently the first to be under threat," said Valery Fedorov. 

Nevertheless, despite all the risks, Russia has significant potential to influence the global climate agenda.

"We have enough ideas, developments and ambition to contribute to the resolution of the global climate management issue. What we need is to act — without waiting for new and even more dangerous manifestations of global climate change. The time to act is now — strategically and systematically. We stand on the threshold of a new era, in which humanity must learn not just to react to climate change, but to consciously shape its own future," concluded the expert.

Valery Fedorov is the moderator of a series of discussions held in preparation for the 2nd International Symposium "Inventing the Future." During the latest meeting, experts discussed the technological capabilities for climate management, the need for clear international standards in the field of geoengineering, as well as modelling and forecasting of disasters. Special attention was paid to the role of Russia in shaping the global climate agenda and the importance of developing its own scientific and technological solutions in this area.

The main theme of the 2nd International Symposium "Inventing the Future" is to bring together the world’s leading minds to jointly design positive scenarios for the future. Information about upcoming discussions in preparation for the Symposium can be found on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA in the "Events" section.