George Safonov

George Safonov
Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales · Deep decarbonization pathways department

PhD

About

140
Publications
67,278
Reads
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897
Citations
Introduction
Low carbon development pathways, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainability, and development economics. Plus educational courses in green innovations and economics of climate change
Additional affiliations
January 2004 - July 2021
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Position
  • Managing Director
March 1998 - June 1998
Erasmus MC, Tinbergen Institute
Position
  • PhD Student researcher
Description
  • Joint research program with HSE, work on the PhD thesis "Economic mechanisms of the climate change mitigation policy in Russia"
April 1997 - March 1998
Eurasia Foundation
Position
  • Program Officer
Description
  • Methodological and information support of research projects, assessment of economic research proposals, monitoring and reporting, scientific supervisory board meetings
Education
September 2000 - June 2001
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Field of study
  • Economics
November 1996 - October 1999
September 1994 - July 1996

Publications

Publications (140)
Article
Full-text available
С какой скоростью в мире происходит энергетический переход и что мешает этому процессу? Эксперты ответили на вопросы о том, как они оценивают текущие темпы энергоперехода и реалистичность достижения целей Парижского соглашения, а также перспективы совершенствования и удешевления уже существующих безуглеродных энерготехнологий, возможность появлени...
Chapter
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Russia, renowned for its vast natural resources, expansive territory, substantial human capital, and extensive international connections, has historically held a noteworthy position in the global economy. However, since February 2022, the nation has been undergoing significant socio-economic shifts spurred by Western sanctions and allied actions, i...
Article
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The battle against methane emissions has evolved into a global mission, with 150 producing countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and others, pledging their commitment to the Global Methane Pledge. This new initiative was introduced in 2021 during COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, as part of the ongoing effort...
Article
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The UN Paris Climate Agreement requires unprecedented efforts to prevent global warming above 1,5-2°C. Despite geopolitical, economic and other disruptions, cooperation in climate sphere is one of the key directions of international interaction among the world leading economies. Many countries adopted decarbonization strategies and carbon neutralit...
Book
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В докладе проанализированы глобальные климатические изменения и их воздействие на человеческий потенциал, экономику и окружающую среду. Представлены новейшие результаты исследований климатической роли атмосферной эмиссии метана из гидратов подводной мерзлоты в Аркти ке. Сценарные прогнозы низкоуглеродного развития экономики России до 2050 г. позвол...
Article
One key aspect of the Paris Agreement is the goal to limit the global average temperature increase to well below 2 °C by the end of the century. To achieve the Paris Agreement goals, countries need to submit, and periodically update, their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Recent studies show that NDCs and currently implemented national p...
Article
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Development of the Russian economy over the last 20 years was based on intensive exploitation of natural resources that has led to a signifi cant increase of negative impacts on the environment, including growth of pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases. The environmental problems are also worsening on the global level, and the international c...
Article
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement have ushered in a new era of policymaking to deliver on the formulated goals. Energy policies are key to ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy (SDG7). Yet they can also have considerable impact on other goals. To successfully achieve mult...
Book
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Focusing on progress towards low-carbon developments in Russia, the report provides insights into the macroeconomic and social stability of coal regions, and delineates future pathways in the ongoing global low-carbon energy transition.
Chapter
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The target for global warming agreed on in the 2015 Paris Agreement implies that effective policies must be implemented to reduce emissions for the whole planet as soon as possible and reach net zero in the second half of the 21st century. This eBook, with contributions from economists working in more than 18 countries, provides timely and concise...
Book
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This report seeks to open the box of emission pathways, by considering the multidimensional feasibility conditions-i.e. the technical, economic, political, social and institutional- that will enable the required far-reaching and systemic transformation towards the long-term goal. A detailed understanding of the transformations is indeed key to supp...
Preprint
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The paper reviews the main elements of the EU Green Deal and carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) and their potential impacts on exports and economic development in Russia and CiS countries, as well as the opportunities for avoiding risks associated with strengthening of carbon regulation in the EU and worldwide
Conference Paper
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В докладе, подготовленном в рамках направления исследований «Природноклиматические детерминанты устойчивого развития» Научного центра мирового уровня «Центр междисциплинарных исследований человеческого потенциала», представлены тенденции и факторы развития различных элементов природноресурсных и климатических систем, описана их взаимосвязь с челове...
Article
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The paper presents an overview of the current transformation of Russia's climate change policy.
Book
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The key aim of this report is to show how the forest sector can help Russia to meet its targets of the Paris Agreement and, at the same time, how the sector can contribute to improve the economy. This is linked to building an innovative strategy of sustainable forest development, addressing conservation as well as productivity, emphasizing the coun...
Article
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Климатические изменения все больше затрагивают экономические интересы государств и компаний. На «кону» триллионы долларов инвестиций в сокращение выбросов парниковых газов и переход к «зеленым» технологиям, потеря рынков для традиционных энергокомпаний, новые мега-проекты и многомиллиардные рынки «углерода». Россия имеет уникальные возможности стат...
Article
The Paris Agreement invited Parties to develop low-emission development strategies. This study presents national low-emission scenarios to inform such strategies for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU-28, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia and the USA. We use country-level technology-rich energy-economy and integrated assessment m...
Technical Report
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CD-LINKS insights critically informed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, as well as other reports on the assessment of investment and finance needs. Through continued inter-disciplinary global research efforts such as CD-LINKS, we can strategically and systematically work to achieve objec...
Article
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Russia is one of the largest carbon emitters in the world, possessing huge resources of both fossil fuels and zero-carbon energy sources. The Paris Agreement targets require substantial efforts to limit global warming to “well below 2 °C”. Energy-economic modeling provides sound conclusions that continuation of existing energy and climate policy wi...
Article
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This paper explores the consequences of different policy assumptions and the derivation of globally consistent, national low-carbon development pathways for the seven largest greenhouse gas (GHG)–emitting countries (EU28 as a bloc) in the world, covering approximately 70% of global CO2 emissions, in line with their contributions to limiting global...
Technical Report
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The 10-Point Action Plan to catalyse a Circular Bioeconomy of Wellbeing is a call for collective and integrated action to global leaders, investors, companies, scientists, governments, non- governmental and intergovernmental organisations, funding agencies and society at large to put the world on a sustainable path.
Article
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COVID-19 pandemic and climate change mitigation: implications for Russia
Preprint
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The paper discusses the green growth and green innovation issues in Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, specific experience of selected countries in transitioning to green economy, the financing tools and prospects for eco-innovating solutions
Book
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Процесс изменения климата наблюдается во всех странах Центральной и Восточной Европы, Кавказа и Центральной Азии (ЦВЕКЦА); он влечет за собой серьезные последствия. Прогнозы национального и международного уровня говорят о повышении среднегодовых температур в этом регионе к 2050 году и в последующие годы. Страны ЦВЕКЦА также столкнутся с изменениями...
Book
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The economies of Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia (CEECCA) grew at a varying pace in 2000–2019, with an average rate of 6.5 percent per annum (GDP, PPP). This economic progress was accompanied by some positive changes in environmental performance, but not in all areas and not in all countries in the region.
Article
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In the last 50 years, the biosphere, upon which humanity depends, has been altered to an unparalleled degree. The current economic model relying on fossil resources and addicted to “growth at all costs” is putting at risk not only life on our planet, but also the world’s economy. The need to react to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis is a unique o...
Article
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Many countries have implemented national climate policies to accomplish pledged Nationally Determined Contributions and to contribute to the temperature objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. In 2023, the global stocktake will assess the combined effort of countries. Here, based on a public policy database and a multi-model scenario a...
Conference Paper
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Forest ecosystems, their products and services play an important role in achieving ambitious climate change mitigation objectives at the same time requiring profound adaptation to climate change. Forest management schemes to support climate action have to be developed within their regional context but also have to be aligned with national or EU-lev...
Chapter
Global warming is leading to a wide range of dramatic impacts caused by changes in surface temperature and precipitation, and increases in the frequency and scale of extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts. Climate change is occurring much faster than the global average in Russia. The water problems associated with the impacts of climat...
Book
Full-text available
The global climate change is one of the most dangerous threats to human society in the 21st Century. The dramatic losses have already been observed, and the risks are rising over time. CEECCA region experiences many negative impacts of global warming, which is faster and stronger than the world average. Numerous adaptation and resilience measures a...
Article
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Changing the scientific approach to fast transitions to a sustainable world. Improving knowledge production for sustainable policy and practice
Article
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The Paris Agreement introduces long-term strategies as an instrument to inform progressively more ambitious emission reduction objectives, while holding development goals paramount in the context of national circumstances. In the lead up to the twenty-first Conference of the Parties, the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project developed mid-century l...
Technical Report
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Opportunities exist in G20 countries to strengthen existing climate policies. It can be shown from analyses at the national level that the emission reductions consistent with global pathways to reach the overall targets of the Paris Climate Agreement can be implemented. This is the main conclusion of a set of 11 national fact sheets developed as pa...
Chapter
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This volume offers profound analyses of the main theoretical and practical aspects of the concept of sustainable development: namely, current environmental problems; the building of green economies; climate policies; specifics of international cooperation in the sphere of sustainable development; specific features of business and government involve...
Article
The article delves into the global trends of decarbonizing the world economy and transitioning countries with high economic potential towards low-carbon development. Focusing on nations like the USA, the European Union, China, South Korea, and Great Britain, the authors examine the contemporary strategies for decarbonizing various sectors of the na...
Book
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This booklet is the outcome of a research project for the assessment of the potential for deep decarbonization of Northeast Asian economies aimed at the global target of preventing global warming by 2 degrees Celsius, as stipulated by the Paris Climate Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Research
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Глобальное изменение климата является одной из важнейших экологических проблем человечества в XXI столетии. Она затрагивает все страны и народы, отрасли экономики и экосистемы планеты. Научные данные свидетельствуют: климат уже меняется, и гораздо быстрее, чем ожидалось еще несколько лет назад.
Presentation
Full-text available
Overview of Russia’s perspectives in development of low carbon economy, the risks and opportunities the country may face in the near future
Conference Paper
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The proceedings of International Congress REENCON-XXI "Renewable energy in 21st Century: energy and economic effectiveness" 2016 presents the thesis of Congress participants devoted to the key aspects of development and practical use of renewable energy sources in Russia and the world. One of the challenges relates to deep decarbonization of the wo...
Article
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A comprehensive review of the climate change mitigation and low carbon development issues in the Northeast Asia, including Russia, China, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and DPR of Korea. The countries face an outstanding challenge of using their huge reserves of fossil fuels while committing to prevent global warming by over 2 degree Celsius. T...
Book
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This analytical report provides the quantitative estimates of carbon sequestration and carbon emission reduction potential by forest and pastures in Kazakhstan by 2050.
Presentation
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Presentation of the climate change issues, risks of expansion of fossil fuel use and opportunities for decarbonization of the Northeast Asia economies, responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions. The region is at the crossroads and must choose between ”carbon-intensive” and ”low carbon” pathways.
Presentation
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The thesis of joint presentation on Northeast Asia regional cooperation on climate change mitigation.
Book
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Книга посвящена одной из актуальных экологических проблем— влиянию изменения климата на бореальные леса. На примере юга таёжной зоны Сибири (Алтайского региона) проанализировано влияние опасных климатических изменений и дана оценка потенциала адаптации к ним лесных экосистем. Представлены результаты ретроспективного анализа поглощения парниковых га...
Research
Full-text available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr5mdKaA6nw
Technical Report
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В декабре 2015 года на 21-ой Конференции Сторон РКИК было принято новое Парижское климатическое соглашение, определяющее международные действия по проблеме изменения климата на перспективу после 2020 года. Одна из ключевых целей ПКС-«удержание прироста глобальной средней температуры намного ниже 2°С сверх доиндустриальных уровней». В Работе престав...
Presentation
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The presentation provides findings of the research on low carbon development and decarbonization in the North East Asia countries. It was presented at the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security. III International Conference on 16-17 June 2016
Technical Report
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The report presents findings of the research on assessment of current trends and scenario projections of carbon sequestration and emissions in pastures of Kazakhstan, the 9th country by territory in the world.
Technical Report
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The report provides findings of the research on carbon sequestration and emissions in forest ecosystems of Kazakhstan. Based on different scenarios, the projections of carbon sinks are made by 203 and beyond.
Presentation
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The presentation reviews the global political and economic challenges related to climate change and Paris Climate Agreement for the Northeast Asia countries, including Russia, Japan, China, Mongolia, South Korea and DPRK
Presentation
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Презентация о новых решениях по реализации Россией климатической политики и требованиях к отчетности предприятий и регионов по выбросам парниковых газов.
Article
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The article reviews the outcomes of Paris climate conference under UN FCCC and adoption of the new international climate treaty for Russia and the world. It discusses the new commitments, challenges, opportunities arise after 2020 for the countries in mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
Book
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В работе обобщены результаты 21-ой международной конференции сторон РКИК ООН в области изменения климата. На основе анализа материалов официальных документов РКИК ООН определены особенности и механизмы Парижского климатического Соглашения и обозначены пути по переходу Казахстана на низкоуглеродное развитие.
Technical Report
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The paper discusses the Paris Climate Agreement adopted at the UNFCCC COP21 in December 2015 and its implications for Kazakhstan.
Conference Paper
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A presentation with overview of the environmental issues, including climate change, relevant regulation, and their impacts on the business in Russia. A part of the executive master module for natural gas businesses.
Book
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This report examines the changes happening in Russia ever since the issue of global warming was introduced on the global agenda. Only today, after the planet has experienced a variety of catastrophic natural disasters, have world leaders and decision makers grown more aware of the urgency of the problem. In Russia, where climate changes have been m...
Presentation
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Экономические аспекты нового климатического соглашения, подготовленного к 21-ой Конференции Сторон РКИК ООН в Париже, обсуждение на круглом столе Международной торгово-промышленной палаты.
Presentation
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Обсуждаются задачи глубокой декарбонизации экономики, необходимой для достижения цели по предотвращению опасного роста глобальной температуры более чем на 2 градуса Цельсия, а также потенциал России по переходу к низкоуглеродному развитию экономики
Presentation
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Экономические подходы к учету депонирования и экосистемных услуг лесов, опыт привлечения финансирования в лесные программы и проекты
Presentation
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Presents the policy priorities of Russia regarding negotiations on the Paris Climate Agreement at the UNFCCC COP21
Book
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The book summarizes findings of research of 16 country teams on deep decarbonization pathways, aiming at limiting the global warming by 2 degrees Celsius.
Book
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The book presents how the world leading countries can transition, on a technological, socio-economic and policy “pathway”, to a low-carbon economy consistent with the internationally agreed goal of limiting anthropogenic warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius. Achieving this goal requires that the world cut global net emissions of greenhouse gases...
Book
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This supplementary material contains case studies presenting specific aspects of the DDPP country pathways. They illustrate and complement the cross-cutting analysis included in the 2015 DDPP synthesis report
Technical Report
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This Global Environmental Benefits Assessment for Russia is conducted under analysis of the environmental benefits that the country generates globally, including the areas of biodiversity, climate change, international waters, POPs and chemicals, ODS, and land degradation. The Assessment by each focal area includes overview of the focal area in the...
Presentation
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Discussion of the implications of the ”Better Growth, Better Climate” New Climate Economy Report for Russia, issues and challenges of the Global Plan of Climate Actions, proposed by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.
Book
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В работе изложены важнейшие теоретические и практические аспекты концепции устойчивого развития: современные экологические проблемы, теория и практика устойчивого развития, построение зеленой экономики, климатическая политика, особенности международного сотрудничества в сфере устойчивого развития, характерные черты участия бизнеса и государств в ре...