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Top weatherman says global warming good for Russia

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-19 11:02

MOSCOW – Global warming may be a worry to low-lying lands but Russia's top weatherman said Wednesday that warmer temperatures would help to cut heating bills in one of the world's coldest countries.

A mountain is reflected in a bay that used to be covered by the Sheldon glacier on the Antarctic peninsula, January 14, 2009. The glacier has shrunk by about 2 km since 1989, probably because of global warming.  [Agencies]

"The heating season will be reduced and this is a positive factor for us as it will allow us to economise on fuel," Alexander Bedritsky, head of Russia's state weather centre, was quoted as saying by RIA news agency.

Russia is one of the biggest producers of carbon dioxide as it burns vast amounts of oil and gas to heat houses during the bitter months where temperatures regularly fall below minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit).

Heating bills in Russia could be cut by 5 to 10 percent by 2050 if current trends continue, the weather centre said.