"The Russian Federation and other developed countries will have to start reducing fuel consumption. This is not the prospect for the next 10 years, but for 30-40 years," said Gorkov in the run-up to the G8 summit in the Scottish town of Gleneagles, where the leaders of world's most industrialized nations will discuss global economic issues and climate change on July 7.
Gorkov said he was sure Russia had to be party to an agreement to be signed after 2012, which is when the Kyoto protocol's results are assessed.
"For Russia, keeping emissions at the 1990 level means increasing electric power generation by 30% without increasing primary energy consumption," Gorkov said.
He also said that the Kyoto protocol, which was designed to raise industry's energy efficiency, did "not pose any threats to Russia's economy given a limited fuel supply."
The Kyoto protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change came into force on February 16, 2005. It was signed at a summit that took place in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 under the aegis of the UN. The participants pledged to cut the emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases 5.2% by 2012. The 1990 level was taken as a reference point.
The vote of Russia, which accounts for 17.4% of greenhouse gas emissions, was crucial for the Kyoto to come into force. Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, passed the ratification law on October 22, while the upper house, Federation Council, approved it on November 5, 2004.
By that time, 124 countries accounting for 44.2% of overall emissions had ratified the document. The United States refused to ratify the protocol.
The protocol allows countries with emissions below the set level to sell emission quotas to other countries.
