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Climate Change, assigning mandatory targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas
Only Parties to the Convention that have also become Parties to the Protocol will be bound
by the Protocol’s commitments. Currently 169 countries and one regional economic
integration organization (the EEC) have ratified the Protocol to date (14th February 2007).
Reference:
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/background/status_of_ratification/items/2613.php
2. Principles
It has stated in Article 3 (1) of the Protocol that ‘The Parties included in Annex I (UNFCCC)
shall, individually or jointly, ensure that their aggregate anthropogenic carbon dioxide
equivalent emissions of the greenhouse gases listed in Annex A do not exceed their
reduction commitments inscribed in Annex B and in accordance with the provisions of this
Article, with a view to reducing their overall emissions of such gases by at least 5 per cent
It means that when the Protocol entered into force, Parties listed in Annex b are required
and the protocol is legally binding for them to fulfill the commitment.
As stated in Article 25 (1), Kyoto Protocol, “This Protocol shall enter into force on the
ninetieth day after the date on which not less than 55 Parties to the Convention,
incorporating Parties included in Annex I which accounted in total for at least 55 per cent
of the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I,
Ref: [Arts.2 (1) (b), 14 (1) and 16, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969]
Till 2003, despite there are over 55 Parties to the Convention has signed and ratified, but
the total carbon dioxide emission added up to only around 44%, which is mainly because
both United States, the world’s single-largest source of CO2 emissions, and Russia, who
composes of 36.1% and 17.4% had not yet ratified. It made the Protocol can’t entered
into force.
Until November 2004, Russia President Putin finally approved the treaty and since then,
the “90-day countdown to the Kyoto Protocol entry into force was triggered”, and it
became legally binding for those who ratified, accessed, approved or accepted it.
Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period would end in 2012, Presidents or Prime Ministers
from major countries had came with the Washington Declaration on February 2007, agreed
in principle on the outline of a successor to the Protocol. It would most likely apply to both
developed and developing countries, which means China, the current second largest source
Reference
UNFCCC: http://unfccc.int/2860.php