Global responses post Kyoto Protocol

Kenzo MotohashiJames Todd

Kyoto Protocol Second Period

• During the second commitment period, thirty-eight developed countries, including the EU and its Member States, have taken on binding GHG emission commitments. The second period covers around 14% of global emissions.

• These countries have committed to reduce emissions by at least 18% below 1990 levels in a period from 2013 to 2020.

• More than 80 other countries, including the United States, China, India, South Africa and Brazil, have made voluntary pledges to limit their emissions by 2020. These pledges, together with the formal targets mean that more than 80% of global emissions are covered by targets or pledges up to 2020.

2020 onwards• The 2013 Warsaw conference agreed a timeplan for countries to table their ‘contributions’ to

reducing or limiting GHG emissions. The new agreement will be adopted in 2015, at the Paris climate conference, and implemented from 2020.

• It also agreed to set up a mechanism to address losses and damage caused by climate-change-exacerbated extreme weather events and slow onset events such as rising sea levels. Detailed work on the “Warsaw international mechanism for loss and damage” will begin in 2014 and establish by 2020 a $100bn fund to help poorer countries move to a green economy and cope with the effects of climate change.

• In addition, the conference agreed decisions which enhance the implementation of a range of measures already agreed, including climate finance, REDD+, and transparency of reporting on emissions.

• The REDD+ programme will raise $290 million to combat deforestation. However, for the programme to be successfully implemented it really needs $20-$35 billion each.

• When the 2015 Paris Agreement comes into force from 2020, the cumulative emissions from developing countries will overtake those of rich nations. This is a problem since the targets affecting developing nations are lenient with the developed nations facing much more restrictive targets.