Kyoto and the new Russian gulag?

Now for some eco-political dabbling... I am sitting in the Lutheran Mission Home in Helsinki at the moment, checking mail and so on, with an African friend behind me watching the good ole BBC News. Kyoto was on the news again, with some "encouraging news from Russia". It seems some plant managers in Russia are looking forward to Kyoto and the opportunity to spend money on reducing emissions.

Pardon me if I cough (pun intended). I remain highly skeptical of Russian industry's interest in spending money on any type of cleanup. There is little or no evidence that I have seen of either business or government being willing to spend money to please someone else (which is certainly what Kyoto is all about: appeasing the environmentalists and making the EU feel good about themselves). If money comes to Russia because of Kyoto, you can be pretty certain that the funds will be well-invested (that is, into the politicians' pockets!).

In the article linked above, Hans notes "It should not be forgotten that the Russians are reputed to be tough negotiators." Good point, and it's not just reputation, it's fact. Russian businessmen (let alone politicians) are adept at finding ways to get around obstacles. Ratification or not, it is quite unlikely that Russia will truly implement the Kyoto treaty. And that may not be a completely bad thing...