Climate Highlights of 2025

Inga Kononovich Researcher in Climate Change Policy, the International and Comparative Law Research Center, Ph.D. in Economics

Professional interests:

• green economy;
• climate finance;
• carbon regulation;
• BRICS, Eurasian Economic Union, regional integration.

Education

• Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Faculty of International Economic Relations, Department of International Finance (postgraduate, 2020-2023);
• Université Grenoble Alpes, Master of Economics, double degree program “Development Economics”, 2020;
• Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, International Finance (Master’s degree with honors), 2018-2020;
• Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, International monetary and credit relations (Bachelor’s degree with honours), 2014-2018.

Professional experience

In the same year, she joined the Youth Expert Group and contributed to the BRICS Youth Energy Outlook 2025 as an expert on energy transition financing and access to critically important minerals for the energy transition. On 19 November 2025, presented the group’s report at a side event hosted by the Northern Forum, an international organisation of northern regions, at COP30 in Brazil.

In 2024, she defended her Ph.D. thesis on “The Formation of the Green Economy in Emerging Markets”. 

Prior to joining the ICLRC, she was responsible for monitoring and managing assets of mutual investment funds: at Tinkoff Capital LLC (2022–2023) and at Rosbank PJSC (2019–2021).

Inga coordinates the analysis and preparation of projects in the direction of green economy, climate regulation, and implementation of ESG principles. She participates in various Center's events.

Alexey Nikitin Researcher in Public International Law at Climate and Environment, the International and Comparative Law Research Center

Areas of professional expertise:

• International environmental law, with a special focus on climate change and plastic pollution
• Environmental aspects of WTO law
• Sources of international law, with special focus on interpretation of treaties and identification of customary international law

Bachelor’s degree in ecology and natural resources management (specialization “international economic and environmental issues”), MGIMO-University, 2016.

Master’s degree in jurisprudence (specialization “international economic law”), MGIMO-University, 2018.

Before joining the ICLRC’s team in February 2025, Alexey worked at a Russian embassy to one of the South American countries as well as at the Presidential Executive Office.

As part of the Russian delegation, Alexey took part in sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution.

In 2023, Alexey was recognized as an author of an “outstanding work” pursuant to the “International Law in the XXI Century” Award.