THE NEW global climate-change pact-due to be signed in Copenhagen in late 2009-was never likely to include commitments by the biggest polluters to large,short-term reductions in carbon dioxide(CO2)emissions.Recent comments by officials from large energy producers have done little to dispel this view.Russia has indicated that it is not prepared to jeopardise economic growth by agreeing to large emissions restrictions as part of a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.Vsevolod Gavrilov,the official in charge of Russia's Kyoto obligations was quoted by Reuters in April as saying that Russia would not support any plans for capping the use of fossil fuels"in the foreseeable future".
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