President Vladimir Putin said  that Russia — one of the world’s biggest producers of oil and gas — is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.

“Russia in practice will strive for carbon neutrality of its economy,” he said at an energy forum in Moscow.

“And we set a benchmark for this — no later than 2060.”

Speaking about the world’s future energy market, Putin added: “The role of oil and coal will decrease.”

While the Russian president was notorious for years for his scepticism about man-made global warming, he has changed tune in recent months.

The carbon neutrality pledge follows an earlier ambitious step in June, when Putin ordered his government to develop a plan to cut carbon emissions to below the level of the European Union by 2050.

“The planet needs informed, responsible actions by all market participants — both producers and consumers — focused on the long-term, in the interests of the sustainable development of all our countries,” Putin said Wednesday.

Russia is currently the fourth-highest emitter of carbon, and critics say the county is doing far from enough to tackle the crisis.

According to many scientists, Russia — especially its Siberian and Arctic regions — is among the countries most exposed to climate change