Q. Consider the following pairs

Terms sometimes seen in the news  –    Their origin

  1. Annex-I Countries           :    Cartagena Protocol
  2. Certified Emissions Reductions   :    Nagoya Protocol
  3. Clean Development Mechanism  :    Kyoto Protocol

Which of the pairs given above is / are correctly matched?

  • 1 and 2 only
  • 2 and 3 only
  • 3 only
  • 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 3 only

Notes:

Kyoto Protocol
  • The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that brings into operation the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • It is the first set of international rules designed to implement the UNFCCC, which is a multilateral environmental treaty that came into force on 21 March 1994 at the Earth Summit, New York City in the year 1992, to combat climate change.
  • Its role is to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
  • The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principle of ‘Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR)’.
    • It puts the obligation to reduce current emissions on developed countries because they are historically responsible for the current levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
  • The targeted gases under the Kyoto protocol are as follows:
    • Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
    • Methane (CH4)
    • Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
    • Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6)
    • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
    • Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
  • The parties under the Kyoto Protocol are divided in the following manner:
    • Annexe I:
      • Developed countries [US, UK, Russia, etc.]
      • Economies in transition (EIT) [Ukraine, Turkey, some eastern European countries, etc.]
    • Annexe II:
      • Developed countries (Annex II is a subset of Annex I).
      • Required to provide financial and technical support to the EITs and developing countries to assist them in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
    • Annexe B:
      • Annexe I Parties with first or second-round Kyoto protocol greenhouse gas emissions targets.
      • The first-round targets apply over the years 2008–2012, and the second-round Kyoto targets apply from 2013 to 2020.
      • Compulsory binding targets reduce GHG emissions.
    • Non-Annex I:
      • Parties to the UNFCCC are not listed in Annex I of the Convention (mostly low-income developing countries).
      • No binding targets to reduce GHG emissions.
    • LDCs
      • Least-developed countries
      • No binding targets to reduce GHG emissions.
Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms
  • Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
    • Developed countries emit more and lose carbon credits. They provide financial assistance to developing and least developed countries to create clean energy (solar, wind energy, etc.) and gain some carbon credits, thereby meeting their Kyoto Quota (Kyoto units) emissions without violations.
  • Emission Trading
    • Emissions trading allows countries to sell unused emission units to countries that have exceeded their targets. Carbon is tracked and traded like any other commodity in a “carbon market.”
  • Joint Implementation (JI)
    • This mechanism allows a country with an emission reduction commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to earn emission reduction units (ERUs) from an emission-reduction project in another Annex B Party, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting its Kyoto target. The joint implementation offers Parties a flexible and cost-efficient means of fulfilling a part of their Kyoto commitments, while the host Party benefits from foreign investment and technology transfer.