Kyoto Protocol-UNFCCC (UNFCCC,Kyoto,1997)

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that was adopted in 1997 at the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Kyoto, Japan. It entered into force in 2005 and has been ratified by 192 countries, including India.

The Kyoto Protocol is the first international treaty to set binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It commits developed countries to reduce their emissions by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by the first commitment period, 2008-2012.

The Kyoto Protocol includes a number of mechanisms to help countries achieve their emissions targets, including:

• Emissions trading: Countries can trade emissions permits with each other, so that countries that can reduce their emissions more cheaply can sell permits to countries that find it more difficult or expensive to reduce their emissions.
• Joint implementation: Countries can work together to implement projects that reduce emissions in other countries.
• Clean development mechanism: Developed countries can invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries, and then count the emissions reductions towards their own targets.
• The Kyoto Protocol has played an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting international cooperation on climate change. However, it has also been criticized for not being ambitious enough and for not including all major emitters, such as the United States.

Here are some of the key achievements of the Kyoto Protocol:

• The Kyoto Protocol has helped to raise awareness of the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Kyoto Protocol has established a global framework for international cooperation on climate change.
• The Kyoto Protocol has promoted the development of new technologies and markets for clean energy and energy efficiency.
• The Kyoto Protocol has helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries.
• The Kyoto Protocol is an important tool for addressing climate change. However, it is important to note that the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ended in 2012 and that a new agreement, the Paris Agreement, was adopted in 2015. The Paris Agreement sets out a new framework for international cooperation on climate change, with the goal of limiting the global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.