Russian Duma ratifies Kyoto

3.07.50pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 22nd Oct 2004

In the past few minutes the Russian Duma (the lower house of the Russian Parliament) has ratified the Kyoto protocol. The Upper House of Parliament will now vote and if, as predicted, it also ratifies the protocol the Russian President Valdimir Putin will sign the protocol into law.

Russian ratification will make the protocol legally binding and hopefully increase the pressure on Australia and the United States of America to also ratify the protocol. Kyoto, already backed by 126 countries, needed Russia's support before it could come into force.

To come into force, it needed to be ratified by developed nations that account for at least 55% of global greenhouse emissions. After the United States, pulled out of the treaty in 2001, that figure could only be reached with the support of Russia, which accounts for 17% of world emissions.

Within 90 days of Russia's ratification, Kyoto signatories must start making cuts that will reduce emissions of six key greenhouse gases to an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012.