Doğukan Ayberk Paç

Fırat Çanak

Agenda

• What is Kyoto protocol?

• What are the goals?

• Which countries participated the protocol?

• How is the process working?

• What are the results?

• What are the obstacles and possible solutions?

What is Kyoto protocol

• The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at an optimum level

• The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5.2% compared to the year 1990

• As a result of 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities

What are the goals

• The goal is to lower overall emissions from six greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs - calculated as an average over the five-year period of 2008-12.

• National targets:

– 8% for the European Union

– 7% for the US,

– 6% for Japan

– 0% for Russia

– 8% for Australia

– 10% for Iceland. permitted increases

reduction

Kyoto Protocol participation map

2010

Red is Canada, which announced its intention to withdraw in Dec 2011

Green indicates countries that have ratified the treatyDark green are Annex I and II countries that have ratified the treaty

Grey is not yet decided

Brown is no intention of ratifying

Kyoto Protocol participation map

2010• Annex I Parties with targets: Collectively the group of industrialized countries

committed to a Kyoto target – i.e., the Annex I countries have a target of reducing their GHG emissions by

4.2% on average for the period 2008-2012 relative to the base year,(which in most cases is 1990)

• Annex I Parties without Kyoto targets: – Belarus, Malta, and Turkey are Annex I Parties but do not have Kyoto targets.– The US has a Kyoto target of a 6% reduction relative to the 1990 level, but has

not ratified the treaty• Non-Annex:

– Most non-Annex I Parties belonged in the low-income group, with very few classified as middle-income.

– Few Parties, e.g., South Africa and Iran, stated their concern over how efforts to reduce emissions by Annex I Parties could adversely affect their economies since their economies are highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing, and export of fossil fuels.

Kyoto Protocol participation map

2010Denunciation of Canada

• The Canadian government called Canada's legal right to formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol on 12 December 2011.

• Canada was committed to cutting its greenhouse emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012, but in 2009 emissions were 17% higher than in 1990.

• Environment minister Peter Kent cited Canada's liability to "enormous financial penalties" under the treaty unless it withdrew

• Canada's decision was strongly criticised by representatives of other ratifying countries, including France and China.

How is the process working

• Countries with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol must meet their targets – reduction or limitation of greenhouse emission- primarily through national measures.

• To achieve these targets ,Kyoto Protocol also introduced three market-based mechanisms, thereby creating what is now known as the “carbon market.”

• The Kyoto mechanisms are:– Emissions Trading– The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)– Joint Implementation (JI)

Emissions Trading

• Parties with commitments under Kyoto Protocol have accepted targets for limiting or reducing emissions based on the levels of allowed emissions, or “assigned amounts,”

• The allowed emissions are divided into “assigned amount units” (AAUs).

• Emissions trading allows countries to sell excess capacity (emissions that are not used) to countries that are over their targets.

• Therefore a new commodity was created in the form of emission reductions or removals.

• Especially carbon is now tracked and traded like any other commodity since carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas

• This is known as the "carbon market."

Other trading units in the carbon market

The other units which may be transferred under the scheme, each equal to one tonne of CO2, may be in the form of:

•A removal unit (RMU) on the basis of land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities such as reforestation

•An emission reduction unit (ERU) generated by a joint implementation project

•A certified emission reduction (CER) generated from a clean development mechanism project activity

•Transfers and acquisitions of these units are tracked and recorded through the registry systems under the Kyoto Protocol.•An international transaction log ensures secure transfer of emission reduction units between countries.

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), allows a country to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries.

• Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets.

• It is the first global, environmental investment and credit scheme of its kind, providing a standardized emissions offset instrument, CERs.

• The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction or limitation targets.

• Example: a rural electrification project using solar panels or the installation of more energy-efficient boilers

Joint Implementation (JI)

• The mechanism known as “joint implementation, allows a country to earn emission reduction units (ERUs) from an emission-reduction or emission removal project which can be counted towards meeting its Kyoto target.

• Joint implementation offers Parties a flexible and cost-efficient means of fulfilling a part of their Kyoto commitments, while the host Party benefits from foreign investment and technology transfer

Eligibility and approval

• A JI project must provide a reduction in emissions by sources, or an enhancement of removals by sinks, that is additional to what would otherwise have occurred.

• Projects must have approval of the host Party and participants have to be authorized to participate by a Party involved in the project.

The commitment period reserve

• In order to address the concern that Parties could "oversell" units, and subsequently be unable to meet their own emissions targets, each Party is required to maintain a reserve of ERUs, CERs, AAUs and/or RMUs in its national registry.

• This reserve, known as the "commitment period reserve", should not drop below 90 per cent of the Party's assigned amount

Monitoring emission targets Under the Protocol, countries’actual emissions have to be monitored and precise

records have to be kept of the trades carried out.

• Registry systems track and record transactions by Parties under the mechanisms. The UN Climate Change Secretariat, keeps an international transaction log to verify that transactions are consistent with the rules of the Protocol.

• Reporting is done by Parties by way of submitting annual emission inventories and national reports under the Protocol at regular intervals.

• A compliance system ensures that Parties are meeting their commitments and helps them to meet their commitments if they have problems doing so.

• AdaptationThe Kyoto Protocol is also designed to assist countries in adapting to the adverse effects of climate change. It facilitates the development and deployment of techniques that can help increase flexibility to the impacts of climate change.

• The Adaptation Fund was established to finance adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Fund is financed mainly with a share of proceeds from CDM project activities.

What are the results

What are the results

Obstacles• The conflict between economic growth and greenhouse gases emission

makes some developed countries( the US and Australia) not willing to ratify it.

• The principles of common but differentiate responsibilities gradually becomes an excuse of unfairness and the developing countries are indeed increasingly emitting GHG to meet the need of industrialization

• The protocol itself lacks of determined leadership.

Possible solutions

• A more powerful specific organization may be established to investigate and lead the worldwide actions to stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations .

• The developing countries should also have certain percentages of reduction responsibility in the post Kyoto Protocol Age.

• A set of specified rules associated with rewards and penalties even economic boycotts can be used to enforce the implement of the treaty.

Keep smiling no matter what

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