An expert session titled “The potential for replicating successful practices and mechanisms of Russia’s first climate experiment to achieve national development goals” was held at the office of the TV BRICS International Media Network. The event is timed to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference programme in Belem, Brazil, TV BRICS reported.
The discussion was organised by the UN Global Compact Network Russia, the Government of the Sakhalin Region, and TV BRICS. Representatives of public authorities, leading Russian companies and the expert community took part in the session.
The focus of the session was the results of the climate experiment in Sakhalin. The Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development of the region, Andrey Samatov, told TV BRICS in an exclusive comment that the region had achieved carbon neutrality a year ahead of schedule – as early as 2024.
“Sakhalin Region achieved carbon neutrality based on the results of 2024, which is confirmed by the regional inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. [...] This result was achieved through the management of the carbon balance, which consists of emissions from anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases and absorption by ecosystems. In terms of emissions, this is primarily due to measures for the gasification of the region; that is, when the experiment began, it was around 14 per cent, and now we have already reached about 64 per cent gasification of the region. [...] The second area is the system for developing energy efficiency. And, in fact, the system of the carbon unit market, where both the units for fulfilling quotas [...] and the carbon unit market in the voluntary implementation of climate projects could be used to achieve the overall goal,” he added.
The exchange of best practices between companies and countries became another important focus of the session. Vladimir Lukin, an expert in climate change, energy efficiency and sustainable water resources management, emphasised in a comment for TV BRICS that the very attitude towards sustainable development is changing in Russia. Whereas previously the approach was largely reactive – when decisions followed an already established international agenda – today the shift towards perceiving sustainable development as an independent tool for internal growth and the country’s long-term development is becoming increasingly evident.
Sergey Machekhin, Deputy Director General for Project Engineering, Sustainable Development and International Cooperation at RusHydro, spoke about the contribution of hydropower to the climate agenda and cooperation with BRICS countries.
Climate change has no geographical boundaries [...] Therefore, globalisation in this segment [...] is, of course, first and foremost unifying technologies. If we talk about the planet as a whole, renewable energy sources (RES), hydropower and climate change are extremely interconnected areas of activity. [...] In BRICS countries, we offer the replication of the best available technological solutions absolutely free of charge. We will be happy to teach and help use such solutions,” he added exclusively for TV BRICS.
The session was part of the systemic work of TV BRICS to promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to cover the global climate agenda. In 2025, the media network provided information support for the COP30 summit across its platforms.
The cooperation between TV BRICS and the UN Global Compact Network Russia, formalised by an official agreement, is aimed at providing information support for Russian business in the field of CSR and sustainable development, as well as promoting successful national practices through the media platforms of BRICS+ countries.
As part of its own programme of events on the sidelines of COP30, the UN Global Compact Network Russia also organised other sessions dedicated to the role of youth, the harmonisation of carbon markets, the energy transition, and the sustainable development of indigenous peoples.
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