Russia comes in from cold on climate, launches forest plan

By TANYA TITOVA and FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A large Russian island north of Japan will be a testing ground for Moscow’s efforts to reconcile its prized fossil fuel industry with the need to do something about climate change. More than two-thirds of Sakhalin Island is forested, and authorities there have set an ambitious goal of making the island carbon neutral by 2025. Tree growth will absorb as much planet-warming carbon dioxide as the island’s half-million residents and businesses produce. Moscow hopes to apply the idea to the whole country. The plan reflects a marked change of mood in Russia toward climate change. Still, a senior Russian official at the climate talks in Glasgow says Moscow has no plans to turn off the flow of fossil fuels soon.