An analysis of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions status of Annex I countries: can they meet Kyoto targets?
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Climate change caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is a global environmental problem. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 and the subsequent Conferences of Parties (COP) have expressed the urgent need to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The Kyoto Protocol, the third COP, was to be a milestone in that for the first time legally binding caps on GHG emissions were to be set. This study analyses the 1990 and current GHG emissions status of Annex I countries and their ability to meet their Kyoto target. The analysis is based on data published in the UNFCCC websites in October 2007. In 1990, total aggregate emissions, including land use, land use change and forestry, of all 40 Annex I countries was 17,551.2 TgCO2e, which had decreased by 4.6% in 2005. In a “business as usual” scenario, emissions would further decrease to 16,357.70 TgCO2e (or by 6.8%) in 2012. Therefore, this would ensure the collective target of Kyoto Protocol would be— to reduce GHG emissions by 5.2% from 1990 levels during the first commitment period. Despite Australia not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol until December 2007, it surprisingly has meet its Kyoto target. Ratifying the Protocol and introducing domestic and international emissions trading systems will boost Australia’s economy and reputation in the long run.Keywords:
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Countries present at the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 have discussed on the standard of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but failed to reach an agreement. As the global climate problem turns to be severe, countries in Annex 1 in the Kyoto Protocol and European Union (EU) began to push the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to put the issue of reducing GHG emissions in shipping industry on the agenda and introduce a specific standard by 2011. Moreover, in March 2009, the State Council of the People's Republic of China has issued a strategic policy on promoting Shanghai to be an international financial and shipping centre. Under such circumstance, this paper applied cost-benefit-analysis to analyse the feasibility of GHG emissions trading and raised proposals for corresponding actions for shipping companies' better adaption to the development of shipping industry and gain a favourable position in the carbon credits exchange market.
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In December 1997, the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed in Kyoto to a Protocol that would limit annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions among Annex I countries to 5.2% below 1990 levels within the period 2008-2012. Differentiated limits were specified by country, that for Canada being 6% below 1990 level. This would imply substantial reductions in Canadian emissions compared to current forecasts; and as the transport sector is a major contributor of emissions, it might be necessary for substantial reductions to be made in transport emissions. This paper is intended to summarize what is known to date about the transport components of national greenhouse gas emissions, their likely future trends, and the potential for their reduction. The consideration remains preliminary, and all of the analysis only approximate. The forecasting of trends is necessarily uncertain, and in addition there are some serious inadequacies of existing transport activity data (namely, indicators of private road vehicle use) that limit our understanding of transport needs, the extent to which alternative modes are able to meet them, their relative fuel efficiencies, and potential gains from modal shifts.
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The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the subject to a particularly important Protocol: Kyoto Protocol from 1997 entered into force on 15 February 2005. It aims to limit emissions of six greenhouse gases. In short, the Kyoto Protocol commits industrialized countries to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions based on the principles of the Convention. The Convention itself only encourages countries to do so. Under the Protocol, the European Community has committed to reduce by 8% in greenhouse gas emissions in the period 2008-2012, compared to 1990 levels. Protocol contains two annexes grouping developed countries in Annex I and those with economies in transition in Annex nr.II. In december 2012, the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. This launched a second commitment period, starting on 1 January 2013 until 2020. Russia, Japan and New Zealand are the only countries that will not take binding commitments to reduce emissions. On the other hand, Canada has withdrawn from the Protocol in 2011.
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and its contribution to global warming has become an increasing concern to the international community. Although launched in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol only came into force in February 2005, with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. This resulted in the establishment of a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which involves emissions in developing countries such as South Africa, giving them an opportunity to benefit financially when reducing GHG emissions voluntarily. The qualitative research approach used in this study gain inputs from experts in the CDM process in the South African environment so as to examine factors impacting on the viability of these projects. With the current outlook, this study suggests that there is a relatively high likelihood that the CDM would have the desired effect of reducing GHG emissions from existing South African industry and other developing countries given the incentive to do so.
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This study analyses the 1990 and current Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions data from Annex I countries and assesses the impacts of LULUCF (Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry) activities of countries in meeting their Kyoto targets. In a 'business-as-usual' scenario for the period 1990-2010, the total GHG emissions, excluding LULUCF activities of Annex I Parties, would decrease by 3.7%, whilst a 6.1% decrease would be achieved if LULUCF activities were considered. Therefore, LULUC activities play a significant role in ensuring nations meet their Kyoto targets.
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Finland is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. Under these international agreements, Finland is committed to providing annual inventories that cover emissions and removals of direct anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) from six sectors (Energy; Industrial processes; Solvent and other product use; Agriculture; Land use, Land-use change and Forestry; and Waste) and for all years from the base year to the most recent year (x-2). As a member of the European Union, Finland also has reporting obligations under the mechanism for monitoring European Community greenhouse gas emissions and for implementing the Kyoto Protocol.
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There have been many studies of the cost to Annex B countries of meeting Kyoto Protocol commitments. Unfortunately for these analyses, the Protocol has proved to be a moving target in terms of its interpretation and likely implementation. In addition, the economic performance and future expectations for some parties also are changing, and with these changes come revisions in reference emissions, which have a strong influence on the projected cost of meeting Protocol requirements. Looking back across these studies, the progression of work can be divided into three broad phases. The first studies were conducted soon after the Protocol was signed in 1997, and they focused on carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Often they assumed an idealized system of harmonized carbon taxes, or cap-and-trade among all the Annex B parties, contrasting such systems with implementation without international permit trade but with an idealized trading system operating within each country (see, for example, Weyant and Hill [1999]). These studies showed a high cost of the Protocol with autarkic compliance, but huge benefits of international trading because it made Russian "hot air" (potentially tradable emission quotas in excess of their anticipated emissions) accessible to other Annex B parties.
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