The United Nations Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and entered into force in 2005.
The Kyoto Protocol sets legally binding targets for industrialized countries to reduce their emissions of six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, over the period of 2008 to 2012.
The targets are based on a country’s historical greenhouse gas emissions and its level of economic development.
The Kyoto Protocol introduced three mechanisms to help countries meet their emissions reduction targets: emissions trading, joint implementation, and the Clean Development Mechanism.
Emissions trading allows countries to buy and sell emissions credits, while joint implementation enables countries to earn credits by investing in emissions reduction projects in other countries.
The Clean Development Mechanism allows industrialized countries to invest in emissions reduction projects in developing countries and earn credits for the emissions reductions achieved.
While the Kyoto Protocol has been criticized for not being ambitious enough in addressing the issue of climate change, it is considered to be an important milestone in international efforts to combat global warming.
Is the Kyoto Protocol still active?
The agreement, which entered into force in 2005 and was ratified by 192 Parties, has since been superseded by the Paris Agreement, but remains a historic landmark in the international fight against climate change.
How many countries ratified and signed the Kyoto Protocol?
By 1997, 84 countries had signed the agreement, and 46 had ratified it. Of the major emitters, only the European Union and Japan joined, while China, Australia, and the United States decided not to. By the year 2001, there were already more than 180 signers. Russia’s ratification allowed the Kyoto Protocol to go into effect in 2005.
For the Kyoto Protocol to go into effect, at least 55 countries had to accept, approve, and ratify it, and they had to include 55% of the carbon emissions produced by developed countries among themselves.
What is the Kyoto Protocol’s overall outcome?
Data for the Doha Amendment period (1990-2018) shows that total emissions in 2018 were 25% lower than in 1990, exceeding expectations.
What is the Paris Agreement?
In 2015, the Climate Summit was held in Paris, France, where the Paris Agreement was forged to replace the Kyoto Protocol. It also upholds the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce the rate of climate change, projecting that they will be limited to zero by 2050. It also proposes containing the level of global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
What are the 5 main elements of Kyoto Protocol?
The Kyoto Protocol applied to the seven greenhouse gases listed in Annex A: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).
What was the first period of the Kyoto Protocol?
The first period of the Kyoto Protocol ran from 2008 to 2012, and the commitment that the 180 countries adhering to it took on was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% compared to 1990.
What was the second period of the Kyoto Protocol?
The second period began in 2013 with the Doha Amendment extending the Kyoto Protocol, lasting until December 31, 2020. In this second phase, the countries committed to reducing at least 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, still using 1990 as a reference point.
Source:
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Kyoto Protocol: https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol
- Environmental Protection Agency – Kyoto Protocol: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/kyoto-protocol
- The Climate Group – The Kyoto Protocol: https://www.theclimategroup.org/what-we-do/public-policy/kyoto-protocol
