The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement which was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. The Protocol sets binding targets for developed countries to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. The Protocol entered into force on 16 February 2005. As of September 2019, 191 states and the European Union have signed and ratified the Protocol.
The Protocol builds on the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which committed all Parties to the Convention to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
The main objective of the Kyoto Protocol is to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at levels that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
The Protocol achieves this by setting binding targets for developed countries to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. The Protocol entered into force on 16 February 2005, and as of September 2019, 191 states and the European Union have signed and ratified the Protocol.
The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period started in 2013 and will end in 2020.
Under the Protocol, developed countries committed to reducing their aggregate emissions of six greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous
What was the Kyoto Protocol and why did it fail?
The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which aimed to set binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to combat climate change. The Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and came into force in February 2005.
However, the Protocol failed to achieve its objectives for a number of reasons. Firstly, the United States, which was responsible for around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions at the time, never ratified the treaty. Secondly, the targets set by the Protocol were not ambitious enough to make a significant dent in global emissions. Finally, the Protocol did not include any mechanisms for enforcing compliance with its targets.
As a result of these factors, global emissions have continued to rise since the Protocol came into force, and the world is now on track to exceed the temperature targets set by the treaty by a significant margin.
What is the main features of Kyoto Protocol?
The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding international treaty that commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets. The Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. As of August 2012, 191 states have signed and committed to the Protocol.
The Protocol's first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. A second commitment period was agreed to in 2012 and will run from 2013 to 2020. The Protocol's emission reduction targets only apply to developed countries, which are listed in Annex I of the treaty.
The main features of the Kyoto Protocol are:
- binding emission reduction targets for developed countries;
- flexibility mechanisms to help developed countries meet their targets;
- emissions trading;
- the Clean Development Mechanism;
- Joint Implementation;
- a "forest sink" provision;
- international emissions trading;
- and the Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund. How many countries signed Kyoto Protocol? A total of 191 countries have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol, as of August 2020. This includes all countries in the United Nations, except for the United States, which has signed but not ratified the agreement. Which country held Kyoto Protocol? The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 and came into force in February 2005. As of August 2020, 190 Parties have ratified the Protocol.