According to Simon Shuster in Moscow, Russia is planning to increase greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020, as announced by President Dmitry Medvedev. This plan aims to reduce emissions by 10-15 percent from 1990 levels, when Russia was part of the Soviet Union and had much higher emissions. Environmentalists are upset by this target, as it falls short of expectations from developing countries. The announcement is seen as a starting point in United Nations negotiations for a new climate treaty in December to replace the Kyoto Protocol. In the talks, wealthy nations are expected to propose emissions targets for the mid-term. Russia is the final major country to do so. Environmental organizations and developing nations are urging industrialized countries to reduce their emissions by 25-40 percent below 1990 levels, as recommended by a U.N. panel of climate experts. President Medvedev stated that based on the current situation, emissions could be reduced by 10-15 percent by 2020. Kremlin's chief economic adviser clarified that this reduction would be measured from 1990 levels, before the collapse of the Soviet Union and Russia's heavy industry. Since then, Russia's carbon emissions have increased again due to its industrial growth, solidifying its position as the world's third largest emitter after China and the United States. President Medvedev stated that the goal set on Friday requires a reduction of 30 billion tons of greenhouse gases from 1990 to 2020. This means that Russia is expected to emit around 3 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 2020, up from 2.2 billion tons in 2007. Medvedev emphasized that Russia will not compromise its development potential. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Russia is obligated to bring its emissions back to 1990 levels by 2008-2012. Green groups and developing countries were disappointed by Japan's proposals for a 2020 target that was only slightly stronger than its Kyoto Protocol goal. They were also not pleased with Russia's announcement last Friday. Medvedev emphasized that Russia would approach greenhouse gas emissions responsibly and expected other countries to do the same. Dvorkovich later mentioned that Russia needed to find a balance between addressing climate change and achieving its economic goals. Experts view the goal set on Friday as the beginning of six months of intense negotiations leading to a new climate agreement in Copenhagen this year. Nina Korobova, head of Global Carbon in Russia, believes that while it is a positive first step, other countries will likely push for larger emissions reductions from Russia, leading to further discussions. Korobova is confident that Russia could easily achieve a 20 percent reduction by 2020, even in the worst-case scenarios. Under Vladimir Putin's previous presidency, Russian officials were reluctant to commit to mandatory emissions cuts, citing concerns about impacting the country's middle class and industrial development.