The proposition that EU climate policy represents a threat to Russia's gas exports to the EU, and therefore to Russia's energy security, is critically examined. It is concluded that whilst the greater significance of climatechange action for Russian energy security currently lies not in Russia's own emissions reduction commitments but in those of the EU, an even greater threat to Russia's energy security is posed by the development of the EU internal gas market and challenges to Russia's participation in that market. However, the coming decades could see Russia's energy security increasingly influenced by climate-change action policies undertaken by current importers of Russian gas such as the EU, and potential importers such as China and India. The challenge for Russia will be to adapt to developments in energy security and climate-change action at the European and global levels.Keywords: Russia; EU; energy security; climate change Introduction Russia is a major global actor in the sphere of energy, the largest exporter of natural gas in the world, with the world's largest gas reserves (BP 2011a, pp. 20-29), whose own energy security depends to significant degree on security of exports. With its geographical proximity to the EU and its share in EU-27 gas imports, Russia is also an important actor in European regional energy security. Although much has been written about energy security in EU-Russia energy relations, European literature on the subject (Van der Meulen 2009, Paillard 2010) is often (understandably) Eurocentric and therefore consumer orientated. Russian perspectives on energy security remain under-researched. This discussion is part of a broader research project that seeks to engage more strongly with Russian approaches to energy security (Sharples, in press).Given their differing approaches to both energy security and climate change, and the importance of their energy supplier-consumer relationship, an examination of

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Natural gas plays a significant role in providing heat and power to European energy consumers, while demand fluctuates both on a seasonal basis and within single days. As intermittent renewable energy sources account for an increasing share of EU electricity generation, natural gas will grow in importance as a complementary fuel but will also face even greater fluctuations in demand. This article highlights the vital role of gas storage facilities in meeting fluctuating gas demand and thereby contributing to stable electricity generation in the EU. If the EU continues to depend on gas imports in a flexible gas trading market, the storage of gas will become more important for effective market activity and security of energy supplies.