Transcript Kyoto Protocol

Policies Against
Global Warming
Kyoto Protocol
Effects of Global Warming
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Effects on weather
 Drought
 Tropical
cyclone
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Glacier retreat
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Rising sea levels
MIT’s Greenhouse Gamble Wheels
Policy vs No-policy Scenarios
Policies Against Global Warming
International response needed
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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (1994)
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objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system
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industrialized countries, with the intention of stabilizing their
emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels by the year 2000
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no mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual
countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms
Kyoto Protocol
an international agreement linked to the
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFFC).
 sets binding targets for 37 industrialized
(Annex I) countries for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions to an average
of 5.2% against 1990 levels over the
period 2008-2012.
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Recognizes that developed countries are
principally responsible for the current high
levels of GHG emissions as a result of
more than 150 years of industrial activity.
 Thus, the Protocol places a heavier
burden on developed nations under the
principle of “common but differentiated
responsibilities.”
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Adopted in Kyoto, Japan,
on 11 December 1997 and
entered into force on 16
February 2005.
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Article 25: Protocol enters into force on the 90th day
after the date on which not less than 55 Parties to the
Convention, incorporating Parties included in Annex I
which accounted in total for at least 55% of the total
carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Annex I
countries, have deposited their instruments of
ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
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55th signatory: Iceland (May 2002)
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With the signing of Russia on Nov 2004,
55% condition satisfied.
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187 states signed and ratified.
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Turkey: 28 May 2009
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USA did not ratify (responsible for 36.1% of
the 1990 emission levels)
Participation in the Kyoto Protocol
Commitments in the Kyoto Protocol
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Each Annex I Party has a binding commitment to
limit or reduce GHG emissions
Innovative mechanisms have been established
for Parties to facilitate compliance with this
commitment.
Annex I Parties must provide additional financial
resources to advance the implementation of
commitments by developing countries
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Both Annex I and non-Annex I Parties
must cooperate in the areas of:
(a) The development, application and
diffusion of climate friendly technologies;
(b) Research on and systematic
observation of the climate system;
(c) Education, training, and public
awareness of climate change; and
(d) The improvement of methodologies
and data for GHG inventories.
Green countries = Committed to reduction
Yellow countries = Committed to 0% reduction
Red countries = Not committed to any reduction
Land use, land-use change and
forestry (LULUCF)
Annex I Parties are required to take
measures to protect and enhance
emission removals in the LULUCF sector.
 UN definition of LULUCF: “A greenhouse
gas inventory sector that covers emissions
and removals of greenhouse gases
resulting from direct human-induced land
use, land-use change and forestry
activities.”
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Kyoto Mechanisms
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Emissions trading (the carbon market)
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Clean development mechanism (CDM)
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Joint implementation (JI)
Emissions Trading
an Annex I Party may transfer emission
allowances to or acquire units from
another Annex I Party.
 Emissions trading does not affect the total
assigned amount of Annex I Parties
collectively; rather, it re-distributes the
assigned amount among them.
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Joint Implementation
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One Annex I Party can invest in a project
that reduces emissions or enhances
sequestration in another Annex I Party,
and receive credit for the emission
reductions or removals achieved through
that project.
Clean Development Mechanism
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CDM credits may be generated from
emission reduction projects or from
afforestation and reforestation projects in
non-Annex I Parties.
Carbon trading may be in the form of:
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Emissions trading markets
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
Buyers and Sellers of Credits
buyers are individual companies that
expect emissions to exceed their quota in
their assigned allocation units (AAUs) (or
“allowances”).
 they purchase credits directly from another
party with excess allowances, from a
broker, from a JI/CDM developer, or on a
spot market.
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EU Emission Trading Scheme
the largest multi-national, emissions
trading scheme in the world
 a major pillar of EU climate policy
 currently covers more than 10,000
installations in the energy and industrial
sectors which are collectively responsible
for close to half of the EU's emissions of
CO2 and 40% of its total greenhouse gas
emissions
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EU Emission Trading Scheme
EU accepts Kyoto flexible mechanism
certificates as compliance tools within the
EU ETS
 The EU ETS was inspired by the Kyoto
Protocol but it is also independent of it
 It was enacted before the Kyoto Protocol
became legally binding in international and
EU law
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EU Emission Trading Scheme
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EU Member States agree on national
emission caps which have to be approved
by the EU commission, allocate
allowances to their industrial operators,
track and validate the actual emissions in
accordance against the relevant assigned
amount, and require the allowances to be
retired after the end of each year.
EU Emission Trading Scheme
Periods
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Phase I (Trial Period) (2005 – 2007)
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Phase II (2008 – 2012)
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Phase III (2013 – 2020)
EU Emission Trading Scheme
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At the start of each Phase, each government
agrees an allocation plan with the European
Commission
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Plan indicates the quantity of emissions that will
be permitted for industries during the Phase.
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Once the plans are agreed, governments allocate
allowances to companies in heavily polluting
industries.
EU Emission Trading Scheme
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EU Emission Allowances (EUAs): the right to
release one tonne of CO2 into the atmosphere.
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The total number of EUAs allocated corresponds
to the overall cap on emissions for the companies
covered by the scheme.
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EUAs can be traded across the whole scheme. A
company in one country may buy credits from a
company in another country.
EU Emission Trading Scheme
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Phase I
 About
12,000 installations, representing
approximately 40% of EU CO2 emissions
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Phase II
 Average
cut of nearly 7% below the 2005
emission levels
 Aviation emissions are expected to be
included from 2012.
Enforcement in Kyoto
If the enforcement branch determines that
an Annex I country is not in compliance
with its emissions limitation, then that
country is required to make up the
difference plus an additional 30%.
 In addition, that country will be suspended
from making transfers under an emissions
trading program
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Copenhagen Conference
7 – 18 December 2009
• the main points of a deal to
follow the Kyoto protocol;
• new targets for industrialised
nations to reduce carbon
emissions;
• new targets for poorer nations to
limit greenhouse gases;
• funding for developing countries
to reduce emissions and adapt to
a changing climate
Need for a New Treaty
Kyoto Protocol's targets for reducing emissions
apply only to a small set of countries
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Kyoto expires in 2012
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Need for an agreement that is bigger, bolder,
wider-ranging and more sophisticated than
the Kyoto agreement.
Main Players
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USA: changing stance?
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EU
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G77 (Developing nations incl. China and
India)
Copenhagen Accord
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endorses the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol
strong political will to urgently combat climate change
in accordance with the principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities and respective
capabilities
the increase in global temperature should be below
2oC
deep cuts in global emissions are required
enhanced action and international cooperation on
adaptation is urgently required to reduce vulnerability
and build resilience in developing countries, especially
in least developed countries (LDCs), small island
developing states (SIDS) and Africa.
Copenhagen Accord
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Annex I Parties would commit to economy-wide
emissions targets for 2020
non-Annex I Parties would implement mitigation
actions to slow growth in their carbon emissions
developed countries would raise funds of $30 billion
from 2010-2012
establishes a Copenhagen Green Climate Fund, as an
operating entity of the financial mechanism, "to
support projects, programme, policies and other
activities in developing countries related to mitigation
establishes a Technology Mechanism "to accelerate
technology development and transfer
Committments to Reduce Emissions by 2020
Australia: 5 to 25%
Brazil: 36.1 to 38.9%
Canada: 17%
China: 40 to 45%
India: 20 to 25%
Indonesia: 26%
Israel: 20%
Japan: 25%
Mexico: 30%
Russia: 15 to 25%
South Africa: 34%
South Korea: 30%
United States: 17%
Cancun Conference
29 Nov – 10 Dec 2010
NY Times: "major step forward" given
that international negotiations had
stumbled in recent years, but "fairly
modest" as it did not require the
changes that scientists say are
needed to avoid dangerous climate
change
Guardian: not providing leadership, not
specifying how the proposed climate
fund will be financed, and not stating
that countries had to "peak" their
emissions within 10 years and then
rapidly reduce them for there to be
any chance to avert warming.