Download UNEP Topic A: New Perspectives on the Kyoto Protocol FEMUN V III

Topic A:
New Perspectives on the Kyoto
Protocol
UNEP
FEMUN VIII
.
TOPIC A:
New Perspectives on the
Kyoto Protocol
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Abstract
Introduction
Topic
Background
Revision, revitalization or
deposition?
UN Measures
Conclusions
Guide Questions
References
“The world is very different now. For man holds
in his mortal hands the power to abolish all
forms of human poverty, and all forms of
human life”
-John F. Kennedy
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ABSTRACT
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations entity for addressing
environmental issues at a global and regional level. The UNEP was established on December 15, 1972
after the proposal of a body to act as the environmental conscience of the UN system at the UN
Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. Its mandate emanates from the UN General
Assembly resolution 2997 of December 15, 1972. The so called Agenda 21 was adopted at the UN
Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. There are currently 58 members, which are
elected by the General Assembly every 4 years.
Since the mission of UNEP is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the
environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life
without compromising that of future generation. The work of UNEP is done by assessing global, regional
and national conditions and providing information for strengthening institutions for the appropriate
management of the environment. UNEP also facilitates the transfer of knowledge and technology for
sustainable development encouraging a new vision across different sectors inside a country.
In its decision 25/13, UNEP Governing Council approved the 2010-2011 biennial programme of work and
support budgets divided among six thematic sub-programmes: climate change; disaster and conflicts;
ecosystem management; environmental governance; harmful substances and hazardous waste; and
resource efficiency and sustainable production and consumption. Directly concerned with climate change
and environmental governance is the reassessment of the Kyoto Protocol; this Programme will focus on
the treaty in order to gain innovative useful perspectives on its current role within the international
strategy against Climate Change.
INTRODUCTION
Over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty -- the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with
whatever temperature increases are inevitable. More recently, a number of nations approved an addition to the
treaty: the Kyoto Protocol (190 of the UNFCCC have ratified it), which has more powerful (and legally binding)
measures. On the time of its completion the Kyoto Protocol was a state of the art piece of environmental
legislation; however there has been a debate whether it is enough to cope with the climate crisis the world is
facing nowadays. That is why it is extremely necessary to readdress the Protocol and consider possible changes to
improve or strengthen its role in the strategy against global warming. The Conference of the Parties (COP1s) being
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The word "conference" is not used here in the sense of "meeting" but rather of "association," which explains the seemingly
redundant expression "fourth session of the Conference of the Parties."
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the supreme body of the convention has the faculty of creating Decisions. These decisions are formal agreement
that (unlike a resolution) leads to binding actions. It becomes part of the agreed body of decisions that direct the
work of the UNEP. In case a decision is not viable the UNEP has the very important faculty of emitting
declarations- which are non-binding political statement made by ministers attending a major meeting (e.g. the
Geneva Ministerial Declaration of COP-2). These declarations are part of the integral strategy within different
bodies
of
the
UN
known
as
the
Environment
Management
Group.
(http://www.unemg.org/Cooperation/InternationalEnvironmentGovernance/tabid/1198/Default.aspx)
New Perspectives on the Kyoto Protocol
B A C K G R O U N D
Countries with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions must meet
their targets primarily through national measures. As an additional means of meeting these targets, the Kyoto
Protocol introduced three market-based mechanisms, thereby creating what is now known as the “carbon
market.” 2
The Kyoto mechanisms are:

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
Emissions Trading
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Joint Implementation (JI)
These mechanisms are aimed to stimulate sustainable development through technology transfer and
investment, while helping countries with Kyoto commitments to meet their targets by reducing emissions or
removing carbon from the atmosphere in other countries in a cost-effective way. Mechanisms also encourage
the private sector and developing countries to contribute to emission reduction efforts. JI and CDM are the
two project-based mechanisms which feed the carbon market. JI enables industrialized countries to carry out
joint implementation projects with other developed countries, while the CDM involves investment in
sustainable development projects that reduce emissions in developing countries. The carbon market is a key
tool for reducing emissions worldwide. It was worth 30 billion USD in 2006 and is growing.
2
A popular but misleading term for a trading system through which countries may buy or sell units of greenhouse-gas
emissions in an effort to meet their national limits on emissions, either under the Kyoto Protocol or under other agreements,
such as that among member states of the European Union. The term comes from the fact that carbon dioxide is the
predominant greenhouse gas and other gases are measured in units called "carbon-dioxide equivalents."
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R E V I S I O N ,
R E V I T A L I Z A T I O N
O R
D E P O S I T I O N ?
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According to some authors the real problem with Kyoto is that it acted as if US and European energy interests
actually owned the world's carbon sinks -- the living oceans, forests and soils that have to clean up the CO2
emitted when fossil fuels are burned. Based upon that assumption the Protocol gave those countries and other
industrial nations the right to continue to steal these sinks from the rest of the world. The United States, with 5
percent of the world's population, is using up more than half of the total global carbon sinks( India and China, with
about a third of the world's people, use far less). Even if the United States has not ratified the Protocol, had it
done so it would still have been allowed to continue this disproportionate consumption of resources not owned
by the US citizens?
Europe made this problem worse by choosing to give away to its energy companies the permits it received under
Kyoto. Pope claims that the EU should have auctioned them off, creating at least a vague semblance of a real
market in which the fossil fuel producers would pay something for the CO2 pollution they sell. (Remember, CO2 is
the oil industry's final product.) The Deutsche Bank, regarding the issue says that:
“Auctioning of permits brings many advantages. ... Without auctions, the market value of the permits is being
added to the price of the electricity. An auction could thus reduce the windfall profits of the electricity
companies. ... A trading system that is as transparent and simple as possible is an important prerequisite for
getting non-EU states interested in joining.”
As for Kyoto’s approach to the problem of Third World emissions - basically allowing industrial nations to "trade"
emission reductions in the developing world and avoid them domestically - has proved catastrophic, causing
Newsweek's Emily Flynn Vencat to conclude that "Current emissions-trading schemes have proved to be little
more than a shell game, allowing polluters in the developed world to shift the burden of making cuts onto
factories in the developing world." In a few words polluters are not forced to pay for their polluting activities, a
feature that must change in order to solve this problem within all possible scenarios.
U N
M E A S U R E S
The UNEP , along with the Environment Management Group has been working with different resources, some of
them come from previous work of the UN through the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol has come up with a wide
range of solutions to global warming, the most recent decisions are:
Copenhagen Accord Decision 2/CP.15: “Adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and the potential
impacts of response measures is a challenge faced by all countries. Enhanced action and international cooperation
on adaptation is urgently required to ensure the implementation of the Convention by enabling and supporting
the implementation of adaptation actions aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience in developing
countries, especially in those that are particularly vulnerable, especially least developed countries, small island
developing States and Africa. We agree that developed countries shall provide adequate, predictable and
sustainable financial resources, technology and capacity-building to support the implementation of adaptation
action in developing countries.”
Programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 Decision 12/CP.15: This decision basically calls upon parties to
finance the working budget with phrases such as: “Invites the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of
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the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, at its fifth session, to endorse the elements of the recommended budget as it
applies to the Kyoto Protocol;
9. Approves a contingency budget for conference services, amounting to EUR 8,138,700, to be added to the
programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 in the event that the United Nations General Assembly decides
not to provide resources for these activities in the United Nations regular budget (table 3);
10. Invites the United Nations General Assembly to decide at its sixty-fourth session on the issue of meeting the
conference services expenses from its regular budget;”
CONCLUSION
The Kyoto Protocol, although vital to climate change fight, has weak spots that need urgent attention. One of this
is the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. This principle seems just and fair, however it is
based upon the fact that developing countries are not required to make emissions cuts on the understanding that
rich nations were historically responsible for global warming and so should take the lead, developing nations
would follow later. These assuming all industrialized countries would rapidly ratify and apply the Protocol, which
have not yet come to pass. Thus, even without any effective emission reductions in the first commitment period,
the ratification of Kyoto is crucial for the further policy process of climate protection.
On the positive side of Kyoto's perspectives; it has indeed established a broad-based international mechanism
that provides a valuable starting point for efficient climate policies in the future. The treaty was provisioned to
last until 2012, by then parties and other members of the international community will have to reach a new
decision and commitment to continue climate change actions, learning from mistakes committed in the past.
Delegates, the UNEP role in this issue will be to analyze and evaluate the Kyoto Protocol's mechanisms, its current
application and the situation of the Protocol as a piece of environmental legislation. The previous work task must
take into consideration the faculties of the UNEP and the principles stated in the UN charter, as well as the
limitations and actions of each of the parties involved. Delegates the main objective of this Conference is for you
to produce a decision or a declaration regarding the future status of the Kyoto Protocol; including guidelines for
possible amendments or improvements in its different incumbent areas. All of the above must be achieved
through diplomatic, viable and realistic means considering possible repercussions to the post Kyoto future, as well
as the urgency climate change presents for the human race. Remember, a lot of work and effort has already been
invested in environmental legislature and mechanisms; the Chair encourages you to use them and built upon
them in order to make the process as speedy and productive as possible.
GUIDE QUESTIONS
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Are the Kyoto Mechanisms proven to be effective? If not how can they be improved?
The parties of Kyoto are currently countries, should companies or local governments be included in the
Protocol?
Could the inclusion of other actors be a way to solve the lack of ratification from some countries? Why?
2012 marks the end of the current Protocol, what changes should be added to the piece of environmental
law resulting from that transition?
Should other mechanism be included within the Protocol? If so which ones?
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FURTHER READING
Delegates should be acquainted with the United Nations Charter and the faculties of UNEP, The Chair also
recommends the following articles to give a wider perspective of the situation of the Kyoto Protocol and it
implicated issues:
 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, FCCC/CP/L.7/Add.1,
Kyoto. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf (1997)
 Pope, Carl. The trouble with Kyoto. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-pope/thetrouble-with-kyoto_b_43239.html 12/03/2007
 Böhringer, Christoph. The Kyoto Protocol: a Review and Perspectives. CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN ECONOMIC
RESEARCH. http://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/23995/1/dp0361.pdf
 How the Kyoto Protocol Works. http://www.climatechange.gov.au/government/initiatives/kyoto/kyotoprotocol-works.aspx 19/02/2010
ANNEX A
Examples of clean mechanisms implemented beyond Kyoto
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FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE, OR IF YOU EXPERIMENT TROUBLE FINDING ANY OF THESE DOCUMENTS, FEEL FREE TO
CONTACT THE CHAIR.
REFERENCES
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Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, FCCC/CP/L.7/Add.1,
Kyoto. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf (1997)
Emission
trading:
clean
development
mechanism.
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/media/graphics/12/detail/
Decision
2/
CP15.FCCC/CP/2009/11/Add.1
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/11a01.pdf#page=4 30/03/2010
Programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 Decision 12/CP.15 FCCC/CP/2009/11/Add.1
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/11a01.pdf#page=30 30/03/2010
Page, Bob. The Kyoto Protocol: The Origins of Our Dilemma. Journal of Business Administration and Policy
Analysis. Volume: 30-31. (2002). Page Number: 125+.
Pope, Carl. The trouble with Kyoto. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-pope/thetrouble-with-kyoto_b_43239.html 12/03/2007
The
Past
and
Future
of
the
Kyoto
Protocol.
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/energy_co2/climate_politics/kyoto_protocol_bali.html
15/03/2010
http://www.unemg.org/Home/tabid/1120/Default.aspx
NOTE: THE PRESENT DOCUMENT ONLY CONSTITUTES A GENERAL BACKGROUND FOR THE DELEGATE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONFLICT AND TO FOCUS ON
THE MAIN ISSUES. IT IS RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DELEGATE TO MAKE A FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC AND ON ITS DELEGATION’S OFFICIAL
POSITION. BECAUSE OF THIS, IT IS A MUST FOR EACH DELEGATE TO PRESENT THEIR POSITION PAPER ON THE FIRST SESSION.
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