Valdai Discussion Club and VCIOM to Hold a Discussion on Environmental Challenges of the Future
VCIOM, Moscow, Prechistenka 28
List of speakers

On February 26, at 11:30, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) will host a panel discussion on the subject of a joint study of the Valdai Discussion Club and VCIOM “Future Preparedness Index”. The discussion is titled “Environmental Challenges of the Future. Resources and Climate Change: Truth, Fiction, Recipes for Salvation”.

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Valery Fyodorov, VCIOM Director General, and Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, will explain the changes in the Index’s indicators with emphasis on the section “Resources and Ecology”. This will take place for the first time since the project’s launch in 2017, when its methodology was developed and the first measurements were taken.

During the discussion, the listeners will find out which countries form the top three in terms of their preparedness for the future in resources and ecology, what place Russia occupies, what countries made a breakthrough or lost their positions in the last two years. Experts will discuss the reasons why the Index’s ranking changed, put forward hypotheses for the near future, and share their ideas and experience in this regard. The climate change will be a separate topic in the dialogue. 


Speakers:

  • Valery Fyodorov, VCIOM Director General;

  • Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club;

  • Igor Nechaev, Director General, EuroHem;

  • Igor Bashmakov, Executive Director, Center for Energy Efficiency;

  • Stepan Lvov, Head of Strategic Development, VCIOM.

Participants of the discussion:


  • Petr Bobylev, Deputy Director of the Department of Electric Power Development, Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation;

  • Oleg Pluzhnikov, Deputy Head of Business Russia; Development Director, National Organization for Support of Carbon Absorption Projects;

  • Yuri Stankevich, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Energy Policy and Energy Efficiency of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs;

  • Nikita Vorobyov, Vice President on Ecology, Novolipetsk Steel Company;

  • Yuri Maksimenko, Deputy Chairman of the Committee in Ecology and Nature Management of the Russian Union of 2 Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.


Moderator:

  • Konstantin Simonov, Director General of the National Energy Security Fund, Prorector of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Why it matters

Climate remains one of the most topical issues on the environmental agenda. The Earth’s climate has changed over the course of millions of years with intermittent glacial and interglacial periods. These cycles lasted for tens of thousands of years having natural processes as their source. The greenhouse effect, which is directly related to the climate change, has existed since the formation of the atmosphere.

It is every country’s duty to annually report on dangerous emissions. Over the past century, climate changes have been rapid, especially, since the beginning of industrialization. The natural sources of greenhouse gases have been augmented by the anthropogenic ones. There has been an increase in global trends to curb greenhouse gas emissions over the past two decades. Every person’s contribution to environmental safety is crucial today: this is about following the simple rules of energy saving and planting trees. Campaigning for decrease in greenhouse gas emissions plays an important role in preserving the biosphere.

The central issue in terms of resource security is the access to energy sources. Economy and social structure of any type requires a certain amount of energy. Accordingly, the most important issue of readiness for the future is where a particular country has enough energy.

It makes sense to apply the principle of readiness for the future in the analysis of the countries’ preparedness to the future condition of their energy sector. Each state may have its own configuration of energy system to satisfy its future needs. The degree to which production is environmentally friendly is important. In today’s world, this issue is particularly acute because of the climate change and the development of alternative energy sources.

In connection with this, the two significant trends in the sphere of ecology and resources for the future of particular countries are: 1. Accessibility of key resources. 2. Creation of a system of total recycling. 3. Rational use of natural resources.


Information for the media! To attend, please fill out the accreditation form or email the VCIOM press service press@wciom.com

Information for participants! If you have any questions, please call +7 495 748 08 07 or email press@wciom.com