A Russian official expressed new scepticism today about the Kyoto protocol that will collapse without its backing, saying Moscow would not benefit economically from the UN pact to curb emissions of gases.
"There were hopes that the use of (Kyoto's) mechanisms could prove to be of economic benefit," Mr Alexander Bedritsky, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring, told a UN climate conference.
"But it is now clear that our hopes were illusory," he said in Milan. Mr Bedritsky is heading the Russian delegation at the 180-nation talks in the absence of a government minister.
Kyoto seeks to limit emissions of gases blamed for global warming like carbon dioxide from vehicles and factories. It will falter without Moscow's support after a US pullout in 2001.
In September, President Mr Vladimir Putin retreated from his promises to ratify the protocol soon and Moscow has since given contradictory signals about what it plans to do.
"The absence of clear guidelines on implementing joint projects (to reduce emissions)...make the ideas of the Kyoto protocol unattractive for our industry and prospective domestic and foreign investors," Mr Bedritsky said.
He said further negotiations were needed to find solutions "which would be more acceptable for countries taking on the obligations of reducing emissions".
Most foreign experts believe Moscow will benefit from Kyoto because the collapse of Soviet-era industries means that it will have spare "pollution quotas" to sell abroad.
Kyoto aims to cut emissions by developed nations by 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Russia's emissions have plunged by 38 per cent since 1990.