International Law and China Week 9: Treaty SystemKyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)Presenter: Chow Tsz Lit (Charles)1. What is Kyoto Protocol?
It is an amendment to the international treaty United Nations Framework Convention onClimate Change, assigning mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gasemissions to signatory nations.Only Parties to the Convention that have also become Parties to the Protocol will be boundby the Protocol’s commitments. Currently
169
countries and one regional economicintegration organization (the EEC) have ratified the Protocol to date (14
th
February 2007).Reference:http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/background/status_of_ratification/items/2613.php
2. Principles
It has stated in Article 3 (1) of the Protocol that ‘The Parties included in Annex I (UNFCCC)shall, individually or jointly, ensure that their aggregate anthropogenic carbon dioxideequivalent emissions of the greenhouse gases listed in
Annex A
do not exceed theirassigned amounts
, calculated pursuant to their quantified emission limitation andreduction commitments inscribed in
Annex B
and in accordance with the provisions of thisArticle, with a view to reducing their overall emissions of such gases by at least 5 per centbelow 1990 levels in the commitment period 2008 to 2012.’ It means that when the Protocol entered into force, Parties listed in Annex b are requiredand the protocol is legally binding for them to fulfill the commitment.
3. The Importance of Russia’s Ratification
As stated in
Article 25
(1), Kyoto Protocol, “This Protocol shall enter into force on theninetieth 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 per centof the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I
,have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. “Ref: [Arts.2 (1) (b), 14 (1) and 16, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969]
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