Related topics: climate change , greenhouse gas



Kyoto Protocol

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The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system." The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitment for the reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride), and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons) produced by "annex I" (industrialized) nations, as well as general commitments for all member countries. As of January 2009[update], 183 parties have ratified the protocol, which was initially adopted for use on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and which entered into force on 16 February 2005. Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries agreed to reduce their collective green house gas (GHG) emissions by 5.2% from the level in 1990. National limitations range from the reduction of 8% for the European Union and others to 7% for the United States, 6% for Japan, and 0% for Russia. The treaty permitted the emission increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland.

Kyoto includes defined "flexible mechanisms" such as Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation to allow annex I economies to meet their GHG emission limitations by purchasing GHG emission reductions credits from elsewhere, through financial exchanges, projects that reduce emissions in non-annex I economies, from other annex I countries, or from annex I countries with excess allowances. In practice this means that non-annex I economies have no GHG emission restrictions, but have financial incentives to develop GHG emission reduction projects to receive "carbon credits" that can then be sold to annex I buyers, encouraging sustainable development. In addition, the flexible mechanisms allow annex I nations with efficient, low GHG-emitting industries, and high prevailing environmental standards to purchase carbon credits on the world market instead of reducing greenhouse gas emissions domestically. Annex I entities typically will want to acquire carbon credits as cheaply as possible, while non-annex I entities want to maximize the value of carbon credits generated from their domestic Greenhouse Gas Projects.

Among the annex I signatories, all nations have established Designated National Authorities to manage their greenhouse gas portfolios; countries including Japan, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and others are actively promoting government carbon funds, supporting multilateral carbon funds intent on purchasing carbon credits from non-annex I countries, and are working closely with their major utility, energy, oil and gas and chemicals conglomerates to acquire greenhouse gas certificates as cheaply as possible.[citation needed] Virtually all of the non-annex I countries have also established Designated National Authorities to manage the Kyoto process, specifically the "CDM process" that determines which GHG Projects they wish to propose for accreditation by the CDM Executive Board.

For more information about Kyoto Protocol, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with kyoto protocol

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Climate talks end with eye on next year (AP)

Climate talks end with eye on next year

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 19, 2009 | popularity 1.8 / 5 (5) | comments 2

(AP) -- A historic U.N. climate conference ended Saturday with only a nonbinding "Copenhagen Accord" to show for two weeks of debate and frustration. It was a deal short on concrete steps against global warming, ...


Developing countries end boycott at climate talks (AP)

Developing countries end boycott at climate talks

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 4

(AP) -- Poor countries ended a boycott of U.N. climate talks Monday after getting assurances that rich nations were not conspiring to soften their commitments to cutting greenhouse gases, European officials ...


The higher temperature target has been supported by emerging giants such as China, India and Brazil

Draft Copenhagen deal targets maximum 2 C warming

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 11, 2009 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (9) | comments 6

The first official draft blueprint for a deal at the UN climate talks sees targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 or 2.0 degrees Celsius (2.7 or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), according to a document seen by ...


Wind turbines off the coast of Spain

Clean energy to grow into 1.6 trillion euros industry: WWF

Space & Earth / Environment

created Dec 10, 2009 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (8) | comments 1

The clean energy technology sector will grow into a 1.6 trillion-euro (2.4 trillion-dollar) industry by 2020, becoming the third largest industrial sector after automobiles and electronics, WWF said Friday.


American drivers fond of their gas guzzlers will have to quickly learn to love greener cars

Green cars to get Copenhagen boost

Technology / Energy

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

American drivers fond of their gas guzzlers will have to quickly learn to love greener cars, which are expected to get a big boost from upcoming international climate talks in Copenhagen.


Denmark: 65 world leaders for UN climate summit (AP)

Denmark: 65 world leaders for UN climate summit

Space & Earth / Environment

created Nov 22, 2009 | popularity 2 / 5 (4) | comments 2

(AP) -- Sixty-five world leaders have said they will attend the Copenhagen climate summit in December, and several more have responded positively to invitations, Danish officials said Sunday.


UN: Fight climate change with free condoms (AP)

UN: Fight climate change with free condoms

Space & Earth / Environment

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 2.9 / 5 (12) | comments 38

(AP) -- The battle against global warming could be helped if the world slowed population growth by making free condoms and family planning advice more widely available, the U.N. Population Fund said Wednesday.


UN signals delay in new climate change treaty

Space & Earth / Environment

created Oct 27, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(AP) -- Just weeks before an international conference on climate change, the United Nations signaled it was scaling back expectations of reaching agreement on a new treaty to slow global warning.


Denmark urges agreement on climate change funds

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created Oct 23, 2009 | popularity 1.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(AP) -- Denmark urged the European Union, the United States and other rich countries to commit to financing for a new climate change deal, saying Friday that billions of dollars are needed.


Director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association Giovanni Bisignani

Biofuel for commercial flights by 2010: IATA

Technology / Energy

created Oct 23, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Friday it would approve biofuels for commercial flights by 2010 in a bid to drastically reduce the industry's carbon footprint.


A gaphic showing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions required by the Kyoto protocol

Climate: What's to become of the Kyoto Protocol?

Space & Earth / Environment

created Oct 07, 2009 | popularity 1.5 / 5 (6) | comments 5

Whether to tweak, bolster or bury the Kyoto Protocol -- the only binding global agreement for curbing greenhouse gases -- has become a red-hot issue as UN negotiators in Bangkok try to lay the groundwork for ...


Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen thanks to the global downturn, a report has said citing an energy study

Carbon emissions fall with global downturn: report

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created Sep 21, 2009 | popularity 1.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen thanks to the global downturn, handing the world a chance to move away from high-carbon growth, a report said Monday, citing an International Energy Agency study.


Scientists say climate change mitigation strategies ignore carbon cycling processes of inland waters

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Sep 01, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

In the paper, The Boundless Carbon Cycle, published in the September issue of Nature Geoscience, scientists from the University of Vienna, Uppsala University in Sweden, University of Antwerp, and the U.S. based Stroud Water ...


UN meeting: help nations adapt to global warming (AP)

UN meeting: help nations adapt to global warming

Space & Earth / Environment

created Aug 30, 2009 | popularity 2.7 / 5 (6) | comments 1

(AP) -- As nations negotiate tough decisions on cutting greenhouse gases, the United Nations is holding a separate conference on coping with more floods, droughts and other effects of climate change already ...


Waste water treatment plant mud used as 'green' fuel

Waste water treatment plant mud used as 'green' fuel

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jun 23, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Catalan scientists have shown that using mud from waste water treatment plants as a partial alternative fuel can enable cement factories to reduce their CO2 emissions and comply with the Kyoto Protocol, as well as ...