Hi, it’s konkaz (@konkazuk).
Let’s revisit the key outcomes of COP3, held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, as part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Back then, I was living in Japan, yet I had no idea that a conference like this was happening.
Out of all the international conferences that have taken place, the reason why COP3 is regarded as one of the most important is…
1. The Adoption of the Kyoto Protocol
The “Kyoto Protocol” adopted at this conference was the first international treaty to legally mandate developed countries to meet specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This marked a groundbreaking first step for the world to come together and tackle the issue of global warming.
Regrettably, the United States, the leading greenhouse gas emitter at the time, chose not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
Some of the reasons were:
⚫ The view that it was unfair for developing countries like China*, the second-largest emitter, and India, another major emitter, to have no reduction obligations while the U.S. was expected to comply.
⚫ The certainty that such obligations would hurt America’s economic competitiveness.
*Incidentally, China surpassed the United States in total emissions in 2006, becoming the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
2. The introduction of market mechanisms
The implementation of market mechanisms aimed to allow each nation to reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets while minimizing costs. The three specific mechanisms are as follows.
① Emissions Trading
Also known as the “carbon market,” emissions trading allows Kyoto Protocol participants to sell excess emission allowances to other countries or purchase shortfalls to meet their own reduction targets.
② Joint Implementation
A mechanism enabling developed countries to share reduction projects and count emissions reductions achieved in another country toward their own targets. For instance, a Western European country might implement an energy-saving project in Eastern Europe and use the resulting reductions as part of its achievements.
③ Clean Development Mechanism
A system where developed countries carry out greenhouse gas reduction projects in developing nations and count the resulting reductions as credits toward their own targets. This promotes participation from developing nations in climate change initiatives while supporting sustainable development.
The Kyoto Protocol set a target for all participating developed countries
“to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 5% compared to 1990 levels* during the period from 2008 to 2012.“
*1990 was chosen as the reference year since it marked the first occasion when many countries gathered accurate and comprehensive data on greenhouse gas emissions, making it a fair basis for comparison.
However, in the end, many countries failed to meet their reduction targets, and some were criticized for implementing inefficient measures or engaging in fraudulent activities.
Even so, these targets were the world’s first attempt at such measures, providing the groundwork for the Paris Agreement adopted at COP21 in 2015, making this a highly significant conference.
So, that’s the content of COP3 in a nutshell.
Until next time.
konkaz
*You can read this blog post in Japanese from the link below.
👉 京都議定書の目的とは？ COP3が示した温室効果ガス削減の目標