Simple Guide to the Kyoto Protocol
Environmental Provisions of the Climate Change Treaty at Kyoto
Sep 8, 2008
The Kyoto protocol owes its existence to a treaty signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.
That treaty was the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” and according to the U.N. publication of August 2007, titled “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Status of Ratification” it enjoys near universal approval with 192 countries ratifying the treaty. Under this treaty regular sessions were held to review progress. These sessions were called Conference of Parties (COP), with COP – 1 being held in Berlin in 1995. It was at COP – 3, held in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 that the Kyoto Protocol was produced.
Provisions of the Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is made up of binding targets and mechanisms to help achieve those targets. It also has binding provisions in the case of non-compliance of countries not achieving their targets. The emission targets are based on 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions and must be realized by December 2012.
In setting the targets, the protocol divided the participating countries into two distinct groups.
Annex I Parties include
- the industrialized countries that were members of the OECD in 1992, plus
- countries with economies in transition, including
- the Russian Federation,
- the Baltic States, and
- several Central and Eastern European States.
Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries, including India and China.
Kyoto Protocol Targets
- Annex 1 countries to lower their CO2 emissions by an average of 5.2% of their 1990 levels by December 2012
The 5.2% average is made up of differing national figures, with
- 8% for the European Union,
- 7% for the U.S,
- 6% for Canada.
Russia and the Ukraine are allowed the same levels as their 1990 levels while Australia and Iceland can increase their levels by 8% and 10% respectively.
- Non-Annex 1 countries have no limits applied to them.
Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms
Emissions trading, as set out in Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol, allows countries that have emission units to spare - emissions permitted them but not "used" - to sell this excess capacity to countries that are over their targets
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, allows a country that does not meet its target under the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries. Such projects can earn salable certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets. This mechanism encourages investment in renewable sources of energy in Non-Annex 1 countries
The mechanism known as “Joint Implementation” defined in Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol is similar to the Clean Development Mechanism, but is confined to the least developed of the Annex 1 countries such as the former Soviet Union republics.
The “Introduction to the Kyoto Protocol Compliance Mechanism” published by the United Nations on its Kyoto Protocol website states that any Annex 1 country that exceeds its quota will be required “to make up the difference between its emissions and its assigned amount during the second commitment period, plus an additional deduction of 30%.”
The Kyoto Protocol went into effect in February 2005, without the United States and Australia. Australia later signed the agreement after a change of government. The Kyoto Protocol and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which monitors greenhouse gas reduction efforts have both become an integral part of the battle against climate change and have raised awareness of the problems of carbon dioxide emissions. Although controversial, some of the Kyoto Protocol products, such as carbon trading have encouraged people, states and industries to lower their carbon footprints.
Source:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change United Nations 1998
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
