Story POLITICS IN THE POST-KYOTO WORLD CSE Briefing Paper 2 The Kyoto protocol — to cut carbon emissions in industrialised countries in order to avert global warming — is increasingly being understood not as an environmental agreement but a trading agreement. Speakers at a recently organised symposium by the World Trade Organisation noted that Protocol could well be the most significant trading agreement of the century. Under the protocol, industrialised countries are expected to cut their overall carbon emissions by at least 5 per cent below 1990 levels in the commitment period, 2008 to 2012.
Story THE ATMOSPHERIC RIGHTS OF ALL PEOPLE ON EARTH Why is it necessary to move towards the 'ultimate objective' of the Framework Convention on Climate Change? CSE Statement by Anil Agarwal and Sunita Narain
Story Briefing Kyoto6 12.10 Acquisition period: Certified emissions reductions (CERs) can be obtained from 2000 upto the beginning of the first commitment period, that is, 2008, and these CERs can be used to achieve compliance in the first commitment period from 2008 to 2012. This provision has been criticised by several experts as a loophole which is called Superheated Air. Only emissions reduced within the commitment period should be taken into account. It reduces the impact of the KP in addressing the build-up of greenhouse gases and thus addressing the problem of climate change.
Story Article 11: Implementation of the Protocol including provisions for advancing the implementation of existing commitments of developing countries In order to implement this Article, all nations must take into account Article 4, paragraphs 4, 5, 7, 8 & 9 of the FCCC. Article 4.4 says that all developed countries should assist developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in meeting costs of adaptation to those adverse effects.
Story Article 7: National Communications and the information to be contained in it Article 12 of the FCCC states all parties should provide a national communications to the FCCC secretariat. Article 7 of the KP says that Annex 1 parties must add the following information in their national communications: The necessary supplementary information needed for ensuring compliance with the emissions reduction objectives set out in Article 3. This information will be incorporated in the annual inventory of anthropogenic emissions. This information will be provided annually beginning with the first year after the KP has entered into force.
Story Article 2: Activities that Annex 1 countries should take to meet their commitments 2.1 This sub-paragraph lists a number of activities that Annex 1 nations can undertake to achieve their "quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments" (QUELROS). These activities are: enhancement of energy efficiency; protection and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol and promotion of sustainable forest management, afforestation and reforestation; promotion of sustainable agriculture;
Story The Kyoto Protocol What does it really say? CSE Briefing Paper 1 To understand the Kyoto Protocol (KP), adopted in Kyoto on December 11, 1997, it is important to read it together with the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). The following paragraphs explain what the Kyoto Protocol says and, where necessary, the relevant articles of the FCCC have been quoted. And, wherever possible, the implications of the various clauses of the Kyoto Protocol have been drawn out, especially from the point of view of developing countries.
Story Press Release: Bring the US back to the climate conclave CSE media briefing insists on finding ways to re-engage the US in climate change negotiations and setting up a democratic framework with right incentives and disincentives for rich and poor alike
Story Background Since the Industrial Revolution, as the world became excessively dependant on fossil fuels for energy, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have increased dramatically. The concentration of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, for instance, has gone up by 31 per cent since 1750. These gases trap heat, thus leading to ‘global warming’. In the 20th century, the earth’s temperature increased by about 0.6oC due to increasing concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere. It is expected to increase by another 1.4-5.8oC by the end of the 21st century.
Story EU peeved as CoP-8 draft does not mention Kyoto Protocol NEW DELHI, October 29: The European Union (EU) came out strongly against the first draft of the Delhi Declaration at the UNFCCC climate convention in New Delhi on Monday, October 28, as it does not mention the Kyoto Protocol on reducing global warming. The accord aims at cutting greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries to 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. The United States, the biggest air polluter in the world, has already refused to ratify it, arguing that it would hurt the country’s economy.
