Month: July 2018

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Season of forest fires in Russia and black carbon emissions

Seura published an article about Russian environment- “Venäjän metsäpaloissa pääsee ilmaan mustaa hiiltä, joka nopeuttaa ilmastonmuutosta – ”Palokaudesta tulee hyvin vaarallinen”” (In Russian forest fires black carbon is released into the air, which speeds up climate change – “Fire season becomes very dangerous”).

The fire season starts already in February and lasts for months. In addition to the forest, peat bogs dry.

In the fire, carbon dioxide and black carbon are released into the air, which is the third largest source of climate change after carbon dioxide and methane. Black carbon is thought to cause up to a quarter of global warming in the Arctic.

Climate change has accelerated further still due to black carbon. In Russia, the Siberian permafrost melts, and dozens of large craters have been created in the tundra, which are likely to cause methane explosions underground.

The article contains a commentary on the issue by Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen, read it here.

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Professor Tynkkynen on Helsinki summit

“The Helsinki meeting was a clear victory for the Russian President Vladimir Putin also in the field of energy policy” – Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen estimates, tells the new Yle article “Judoka-Putin heitti Trumpin tatamiin myös energiapolitiikassa – Tutkija: Ehdotus “kaasukartellista” taitava syöttö Venäjän päämieheltä” (Judoist Putin threw Trump on tatami also in energy politics – Researcher: “Gas cartel” formation proposal  was a skillful feed from the leader).

When Trump says that we are (in regards to gas) only competitors, and it is not about energy security, then Russia proposes to conjoin and create a monopoly structure that could jointly manage the market. A clever bet from Russia, of course.

Read the full article here.

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Helsinki summit results

Talouselämä newspaper published an interview with Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen titled “Näin Putin tekee kaasulla täsmäiskuja hajanaiseen Eurooppaan – Professori: Venäjää ei pysty suitsimaan energian avulla” (This is how Putin makes precision strikes in fragmented Europe – Professor: Russia can not be reined with energy). Read the full article on the Magazine’s website.

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China and Great Power Responsibility for Climate Change

Read a new post on Aleksanteri Institute website about Sanna Kopra’s new book China and Great Power Responsibility for Climate Change, published this July.

Based on the premise that great powers have unique responsibilities, this book explores how China’s rise to great power status transforms notions of great power responsibility in general and international climate politics in particular. The author looks empirically at the Chinese party-state’s conceptions of state responsibility, discusses the influence of those notions on China’s role in international climate politics, and considers both how China will act out its climate responsibility in the future and the broader implications of these actions. Alongside the argument that the international norm of climate responsibility is an emerging attribute of great power responsibility, Kopra develops a normative framework of great power responsibility to shed new light on the transformations China’s rise will yield and the kind of great power China will prove to be.

The book presentation will take place on 7th of August at Tiedekulma at the panel discussion ”Suurvaltojen ilmastovastuullisuus”, where Sanna Kopra, Anna Kronlund (John Morton -centre, Turku university) and Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen will participate. The panel will be moderated by Emma Hakala (Finnish Institute of International Affairs). The event has free admission, but please fill in the registration form in advance.