2. The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), aimed at fighting global warming. The Protocol was initially adopted on
11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, and entered into force on 16 February 2005
โข Under the Protocol, 37 countries ("Annex I countries") commit themselves to a reduction
of four greenhouse gases (GHG), and all member countries give general commitments
โข At negotiations, Annex I countries (including the US) collectively agreed to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% on average for the period 2008-2012.
โข Since the US has not ratified the treaty, the collective emissions reduction of Annex I
Kyoto countries falls from 5.2 % to 4.2% below base year
โข Each Annex I Party has a binding commitment to limit or reduce GHG emissions and
innovative mechanisms have been established for Parties to facilitate compliance with this
commitment.
โข Developing countries were not subject to emission reduction commitments in the first
Kyoto commitment period
2005: COP 11/CMP 1, Montreal, Canada
extend the life of the Kyoto Protocol beyond its 2012 expiration date and negotiate
deeper cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions
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3. 2007: COP 13/CMP 3, Bali, Indonesia
Agreement on a timeline and structured negotiation on the post-2012 framework (the end of
the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol) was achieved with the adoption of the Bali
Action Plan (Decision 1/CP.13)
NAMA: nationally appropriate mitigation action
such as project, plan, programme or strategy that aims to reduce emissions of GHG in a
country or part of a country
โข Different countries, different nationally appropriate action on the basis of equity and in
accordance with common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities
โข Developing countries will effectively implement national action depends on the effective
implementation of the commitments by developed countries in provision of financial
resources and transfer of technology.
โข The priorities of developing countries are economic and social development and poverty
eradication
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5. India has argued that NAMA means voluntary reductions by developing countries that require to
be supported and enabled by technology transfer from developed countries.
1997 2005 2007 2009 2015 2015
6. 2009: COP 15/CMP 5, Copenhagen, Denmark
The overall goal for the COP 15/CMP 5 United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Denmark was to establish an ambitious global climate agreement for the period from
2012 when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.
However, on 14 November 2009, the New York Times announced that โPresident Obama
and other world leaders have decided to put off the difficult task of reaching a climate
change agreement... agreeing instead to make it the mission of the Copenhagen
conference to reach a less specific "politically binding" agreement that would punt the
most difficult issues into the futureโ
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7. 2012: COP 18/CMP 8, Doha, Qatar
The Conference produced a package of documents collectively titled The Doha Climate
Gateway. The documents collectively contained:
โข The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol (to be accepted before entering into
force) featuring a second commitment period running from 2012 until 2020
limited in scope to 15% of the global carbon dioxide emissions due to the lack of
commitments of Japan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, New Zealand (nor the United
States and Canada, who are not parties to the Protocol in that period) and due to the
fact that developing countries like China (the world's largest emitter), India and
Brazil are not subject to emissions reductions under the Kyoto Protocol.
โข Language on loss and damage, formalized for the first time in the conference
documents.
1997 2005 2007 2009 2012 2015
8. 2015: COP 21/CMP 11, Paris, France
The aim of the convention was
(a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2โฏยฐC above pre-
industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5โฏยฐC above pre-
industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of
climate change;
(b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster
climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not
threaten food production.
(c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions
and climate-resilient development.
1997 2005 2007 2009 2012 2015
9. The contribution that each individual country should make in order to achieve the worldwide goal
are determined by all countries individually and called "nationally determined contributions"
(NDCs). Article 3 requires them to be "ambitious", "represent a progression over time" and set
"with the view to achieving the purpose of this Agreement".
The contributions should be reported every five years and are to be registered by the UNFCCC
Secretariat. Each further ambition should be more ambitious than the previous one, known as the
principle of 'progression'. Countries can cooperate and pool their nationally determined
contributions. The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions pledged during the 2015
Climate Change Conference serveโunless provided otherwiseโas the initial Nationally
determined contribution.
The level of NDCs set by each country will set that country's targets. However the
'contributions' themselves are not binding as a matter of international law, as they lack the
specificity, normative character, or obligatory language necessary to create binding
norms. Furthermore, there will be no mechanism to force a country to set a target in their
NDC by a specific date and no enforcement if a set target in an NDC is not met. There will
be only a "name and shame" system or as Janos Pasztor, the U.N. assistant secretary-general
on climate change, told CBS News (US), a "name and encourage" plan.
10. โข INDCs are the key vehicle for governments to communicate internationally how they will
cut emissions for the post-2020 period.
โข They also help countries demonstrate leadership on addressing climate change. While
climate change is a global challenge, each country faces unique circumstances, with a
different emissions profile and emissions-reduction opportunities.
โข INDCs allow contributions to be tailored to national priorities, capabilities and
responsibilities. These individual measures can be the basis for collective action, and, if
they are ambitious enough, set a path toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.
11. Keeping in view its development agenda, particularly the eradication of poverty coupled
with its commitment to following the low carbon path to progress and being sanguine
about the unencumbered availability of clean technologies and financial resource from
around the world, India communicated its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution
(INDC) in response to COP decisions 1/CP.19 and 1/CP.20 for the period 2021 to 2030:
1. To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and
values of conservation and moderation.
2. To adopt a climate friendly and a cleaner path than the one followed hitherto by others at
corresponding level of economic development.
3. To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level.
4. To achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based
energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and low cost international finance
including from Green Climate Fund (GCF).
5. To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional
forest and tree cover by 2030.
6. To better adapt to climate change by enhancing investments in development programmes in sectors
vulnerable to climate change, particularly agriculture, water resources, Himalayan region, coastal regions,
health and disaster management.
7. To mobilize domestic and new & additional funds from developed countries to implement the above
mitigation and adaptation actions in view of the resource required and the resource gap.
8. To build capacities, create domestic framework and international architecture for quick diffusion of
cutting edge climate technology in India and for joint collaborative R&D for such future technologies.
12. To achieve the above contributions, India is determined to continue with its on-going
interventions, enhance the existing policies as detailed in previous sections and launch
new initiatives in the following priority areas:
1) Introducing new, more efficient and cleaner technologies in thermal power generation.
2) Promoting renewable energy generation and increasing the share of alternative fuels in overall
fuel mix.
3) Reducing emissions from transportation sector.
4) Promoting energy efficiency in the economy, notably in industry, transportation, buildings and
appliances.
5) Reducing emissions from waste.
6) Developing climate resilient infrastructure.
7) Full implementation of Green India Mission and other programmes of afforestation.
8) Planning and implementation of actions to enhance climate resilience and reduce vulnerability to
climate change.
