Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the climate in Russia is warming even faster than the world average. For 10 years, the average temperature has increased by half a degree.

“I would like to note that the average annual temperature in Russia is growing more than 2.5 times faster than the global temperature. In 10 years it has increased by more than half a degree,” Putin said, speaking at the G20 summit via videoconference. At the same time, according to Putin, the rate of warming in the Arctic is even higher.

The Russian leader stressed that the issues of climate change are extremely important. He noted that Russia is experiencing the consequences of global warming on itself. “We are also faced with desertification and soil erosion. We are especially worried about the melting of permafrost, which accounts for a significant amount of our territory,” he stated.