Policy implications of climate change denial: Content analysis of Russian national and regional news media
| Author | Dmitry Yagodin |
| DOI | 10.1177/0192512120971149 |
| Published date | 01 January 2021 |
| Date | 01 January 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Special Issue Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512120971149
International Political Science Review
2021, Vol. 42(1) 64 –77
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512120971149
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Policy implications of climate
change denial: Content analysis
of Russian national and regional
news media
Dmitry Yagodin
University of Helsinki, Finland
Abstract
This article investigates the policy implications of national and regional climate change denial in Russia. While
in general Russia has lagged behind in its climate mitigation policy, its key fossil-fuel regions are actively
responding to external initiatives and pressures. As the country generally lacks substantial climate policy
initiatives, the focus of this study is on the symbolic policy reactions operationalized as the media coverage
of climate change at the national and regional levels in Russia during 2017–2018. Following the theoretical
perspective of disproportionate policy response, the analysis elaborates on one of the suggested causes of
policy over and underreactions, namely, the level of public demand for policy action. The findings indicate
potential for disproportionate policy response research to conceive of public demand in broader terms,
distinguishing between local, national and international domains.
Keywords
Climate change denial, Russia, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, YNAO, media, public demand,
disproportionate policy response
Introduction
Russia has lagged behind in its climate mitigation policy. It joined the 1997 Kyoto Protocol in
2004, later than the majority of other parties. Moreover, it participated in the Protocol’s first com-
mitment period (2008–2012) without adopting any serious mitigation measures (Korppoo and
Kokorin, 2017: 2). This period coincides with Dmitry Medvedev’s four years of presidency, marked
by a brief moment of increased engagement in energy efficiency and economic modernization
campaigns. The country then refused to sign up to the second Kyoto period, which began in 2013,
but agreed to join the next stage by signing the Paris Agreement (PA) in 2016. Again, it was one of
Corresponding author:
Dmitry Yagodin, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 33, Helsinki, 00170, Finland.
Email: dmitry.yagodin@helsinki.fi
971149IPS0010.1177/0192512120971149International Political Science ReviewYagodin
research-article2020
Special Issue Article
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