The UN Environment Patron for Polar Regions and a legendary ice hockey player, Viacheslav Fetisov, as well as WWF-Russia, urged President Vladimir Putin to use the COVID-19 crisis to reboot the national economy through encouraging "green" technologies
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2020) The UN Environment Patron for Polar Regions and a legendary ice hockey player, Viacheslav Fetisov, as well as WWF-Russia, urged President Vladimir Putin to use the COVID-19 crisis to reboot the national economy through encouraging "green" technologies.
In a letter to Putin posted by WWF-Russia on Friday, Fetisov and the NGO noted that "over the last two years, the priority of Russia's sustainable development has increased significantly and important steps have been taken towards green economy, with Russia joining the Paris Agreement in September 2019."
The authors of the letter at the same time expressed concerns that "apart from financial and tax-related proposals, a possible relief of environmental requirements for businesses is also being put forward." Warning against this, they asked Putin to task the government with developing measures to promote green sectors of the economy and green finance mechanisms instead.
"Since any crisis is always a time of opportunities, we appeal to you to use this moment to steer the country's development towards a more sustainable, green economy," the letter said.
Among concrete steps, the letter suggests promoting "green government procurement, green bonds, and projects in energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors."
