Andrei Nikolayevich Illarionov (Андрей Николаевич Илларионов) is the economic policy advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is Russia's most active opponent of the Kyoto protocol, a treaty that Illarionov believes can be compared to fascism [1] (http://www.mosnews.com/money/2004/09/27/illarionovkyoto.shtml).

Illarionov is an outspoken critic of Global Warming, and the Kyoto Protocol in particular. However, his knowledge of climate change does not appear to be profound. At the wccc2003 he asked 10 fairly naive questions on climate change which were immeadiately answered [2] (http://www.ito.umnw.ethz.ch/SysEcol/Articles-Reports/Illarionov-QandA-WCCC-2003.pdf). Nonetheless, months later Illarionov was still claiming not to have been answered [3] (http://www.ito.umnw.ethz.ch/SysEcol/Articles-Reports/Illarionov-Interv.-9.Jul.04.pdf). His assertion in the quote below about the lack of relation between CO2 and climate change is strange, since there is a large body of work on this subject _ see attribution of recent climate change.

Recently (2005/01/04), Russian President Vladimir Putin has removed Illarionov from his role as presidential representative to the Group of Eight Nations [4] (http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/01/04/illar.shtml), apparently for his criticism of the government’s treatment of oil giant Yukos.

Quotes

"Ideology on which the Kyoto Protocol is based, is a new form of totalitarian ideology, along with Marxism, Communism and socialism."

"We had doubts about the Kyoto Protocol, we wanted reasoning from our partners in the European Union, in the IPCC. Formal requests had been sent to these organizations. But we have not received responses yet, which suggests that no coherent answers can be offered. What we hear is ?it is not comprehensive responses that matter, we will not give them anyway; what is important is whether you believe us or not?."

"We have received no single argument in favour of this document except political pressure. No link has been established between carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. No other objective facts have been presented in recent time. The IPCC's reports in 1990 and 1995 show it clearly."

"We are close to a consensus that the Kyoto Protocol does huge economic, political, social and ecological damage to the Russian Federation. In addition, it certainly violates the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens, and well as the rights and freedoms of citizens in those countries which signed and ratified it."

Biography

Born on September 16, 1961, in Saint Petersburg, formerly Leningrad.

Education: Leningrad State University, Economics Department, 1983; Leningrad State University, post-graduate program, 1987. Ph.D. in economics.

Started working in 1978. Worked at a communications office (telephone and postal services) in the town of Sestroretsk.

1983-1984 and 1988-1990: Taught at the International Economic Relations Department of Leningrad State University.

1990-1992: Senior researcher at the Regional Economic Research Department of the St. Petersburg Economics and Finance University.

1992: Part-time economic adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government.

1992-1993: First deputy head of the Economic Reform Center of the Russian Government.

1993-1994: Head of the Analysis and Planning Group of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers / Government of the Russian Federation.

1994: Vice president of the Leontyev International Social and Economic Research Center, director of the Moscow division.

1994-2000: Director of the Institute of Economic Analysis.

Since 2000 - Adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.