Kyoto Protocol: History and Development

Our ecology has clearly suffered greatly as a result of people's heedless use of nature, which has caused a significant change in the climate of the planet. The Kyoto Protocol, which was created in 1990 after the United Nations finally admitted that global warming was occurring, and the Rio Declaration, which was the result of a conference in 1992, both reflect the organization's decision to support sustainable development.

What does Kyoto Protocol Exactly Defines?

The Protocol put the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) into practical use. By 2012, 192 countries had agreed to cut their emissions by an average of 5.2%, or nearly 29% of the world's total emissions.

Governments that ratified the Kyoto Protocol were given carbon emission caps for particular time periods and were allowed to trade carbon credits. A country would be given a reduced emissions limit for the following term if it exceeded its designated level.

The Protocol was founded on the idea of shared but distinct responsibilities; it recognized that due to economic development, different countries have varying capacities to combat climate change. As a result, it placed the responsibility for reducing current emissions on developed nations because they are historically accountable for the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Modification to the Kyoto Protocol by Doha Amendment

The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was approved for a second commitment period on December 8, 2012, beginning in 2013 and lasting until 2020, in Doha, Qatar.

The required 144 instruments of acceptance for the Doha Amendment to enter into force were deposited by 147 parties as of October 28, 2020, meeting the requirement. On December 31, 2020, the amendment became effective.

The modification includes −

• New commitments for the Kyoto Protocol's Annex I Parties who consented to undertake commitments during a second commitment period from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2020;

• New list of GHGs that parties are required to report on during the second commitment period; and

• Modifications to a number of Kyoto Protocol articles that explicitly addressed concerns from the first commitment period and called for updating for the second commitment period.

Mechanism of Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol established three separate methods to give nations more options for achieving their emission-reduction goal. the following three mechanisms −

• The international emissions trading system allows for governments to engage in carbon trading and sell excess emission units to other nations who have exceeded their target.

• The Clean Development Mechanism allows for the implementation of emission-reducing projects in developing nations in order to obtain certified emission reduction credits.

• Governments with commitments to limit or reduce emissions can get emission-reducing units from a project in another party under the Joint Implementation mechanism.

Formation of Kyoto Protocol

In order to combat the serious effects of climate change, the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Its goal is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at an acceptable level. It entered into force in 1994 after being ratified by the 50th country.

Since then, the signatories have gathered at conferences known as COPs (Conference of the Parties) on a regular basis to discuss how to move forward with global efforts to combat climate change. The "Kyoto Protocol," the first agreement with legally binding duties to restrict and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the ratified parties, was adopted at this meeting in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997.

Current Status of Kyoto Protocol

The United States was one of the main proponents of the Paris Climate Accord when it entered into force in 2016, and President Obama praised it as "a credit to American leadership."

Donald Trump, who was running for president at the time, denounced the agreement as a horrible bargain for the American people and promised to remove the country if elected. Trump, who was president at the time, declared in 2017 that the United States would leave the Paris Climate Agreement because it would harm the country's economy.

• On November 4, 2019, the former president formally started the withdrawal process.

• On November 4, 2020, the day following the 2020 presidential election in which Donald Trump lost his attempt for reelection to Joseph Biden, the United States formally withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord.

• President Biden started the process of rejoining the Paris Climate Accord on January 20, 2021, the day he assumed office. The agreement went into effect on February 19, 2021.

History and Time Line

Below are some important dates associated with the creation, introduction, and modifications of the Kyoto Protocol −

Dates	Events
Dec. 11, 1997	At the third Conference of the Parties (COP3) in Kyoto, Japan, the Kyoto Protocol is ratified.
Nov. 14, 1998	The Buenos Aires Plan of Action, a two-year plan to lessen the risk of global climate change, is adopted by 170 governments as a consequence of a two-week summit that ended on the 14th.
March 16, 1998	Opening for signatures is the Kyoto Protocol.
March 15, 1999	The Kyoto Protocol had 84 signatures after being available for signatures for a year.
Feb. 16, 2005	The Kyoto Protocol has officially gone into effect.
Dec. 8, 2012	For a second commitment period, the Doha Amendment is approved.
March 25, 2013	Afghanistan joins the list of the Kyoto Protocol's 192 signatories.
Dec. 12, 2015	During COP21 in Paris, 196 parties adopt the Paris Agreement, which mainly replaces the Kyoto Protocol.

Conclusion

The Kyoto Protocol, in short, operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by requiring industrialized nations and economies in transition to set and achieve individual emission reduction targets for greenhouse gases (GHG). The Convention only requires such nations to develop mitigation-related policies and procedures and to report on a regular basis.

The Kyoto Protocol adheres to the Convention's annex-based structure and is based on its rules and provisions. According to the premise of "common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities," it only binds industrialized nations and sets a greater burden on them because it acknowledges that they are mostly to blame for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Did China sign Kyoto Protocol?

Ans. On May 29, 1998, China ratified and signed the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Q2. What distinguishes the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols?

Ans. The Kyoto Protocol was intended to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, with the exception of ozone depleting compounds, while the Montreal Protocol was established to phase out substances that deplete ozone.

Q3. How has the Kyoto Protocol Worked Out?

Ans. Many nations, including those in the EU, had plans to reach or surpass their targets set forth in the accord by 2011 in 2005. Others, including the greatest emitters in the world, the US and China, emitted enough GHGs to negate any gains made by nations who fulfilled their commitments.

Q4. When and where was it adopted?

Ans. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on 11 December 1997.

Q5. Which Countries were involved in the Kyoto Protocol?

Ans. Almost 191 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. Over 55 nations that contributed at least 55% of the CO2 emissions of industrialized nations in 1990 signed it, and it entered into force in 2005. While Canada quit the Kyoto Protocol before the first period's end, the United States never signed it. On the other hand, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, and a few other nations made reduction promises for the second commitment period, which runs through 2020.