This presentation provides a detailed overview of the Kyoto Protocol, the first international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. It covers the historical background, key provisions, flexibility mechanisms, and the responsibilities of developed and developing nations. The slides also highlight why some countries, such as the United States, did not ratify the protocol, its challenges and shortcomings, and how it paved the way for the Paris Agreement. Designed for students, educators, and researchers, this PPT explains the protocol’s significance in shaping global climate policy in a simple and engaging way.

1. KYOTO PROTOCOL

2. Origin and
Adoptions
• Adopted on - December, 1997 in the 3rd
conference of parties (CoP) under the
United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• It officially came into force on February,
2005 after enough countries ratified it.
• Aim- combat global warming by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
• Over 192 countries signed it, but not all
followed through—most notably, the
United States signed but never ratified it.

3. Emission Reduction Targets
• It required 37 industrialized
countries and the European Union
to reduce their emissions by an
average of 5% below 1990 levels
during the first commitment period
(2008–2012).
• Developing countries, including
major emitters like China and India,
were exempt from these binding
targets because they were still
growing their economies.
.
The targets were different for each
country:
• The European Union - 8%.
• Japan and Canada - 6%.
• Russia - 0% (because emissions had
already dropped significantly after the

4. • Annex II: (mainly richer countries like the US, Canada,
EU, Japan, etc.).
→ Required to provide financial and technical support to
developing countries.
• Annex B: Specific to the Kyoto Protocol, it lists the
countries with binding emission reduction targets and
their exact percentage goals.
Country Classifications under the Kyoto
Protocol
• Annex I: Developed countries + economies in transition (e.g.,
Russia, Eastern Europe).
→ Had binding emission reduction targets.
• Non-Annex I countries: developing nations, such as India, China, Brazil, and many
countries in Africa.
→ These countries were NOT given binding targets because their economies were still developing.
ANNEX
I
ANNEX II ANNEX
B

5. 1.Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
2.Methane (CH₄)
3.Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
4.Hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs)
5.Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
6.Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆)
SIX GREENHOUSE GASES: ANNEX A
The Annex A refers to :-
1.The six greenhouse gases regulated under the Kyoto
Protocol .
2.The economic sectors from where these gases are emitted.
🏭 Sectors listed in Annex A
• Energy
• Industrial processes
• Solvent and other product use
• Agriculture
• Waste
• Land-use change and forestry

6. Flexibility Mechanisms
KYOTO PROTOCOL’S FLEXIBILITY MECHANISMS
To help countries meet their emission targets more cost-effectively, the Kyoto Protocol introduced
three flexibility mechanisms.
These allowed countries to either trade emissions or invest in reduction projects outside their
borders.
Emission Trading
(Carbon Market)
Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM)
Joint
Implementation

7. • Also known as - Carbon market.
• It allowed countries that have
emission units to spare, to sell it to
countries that are over their targets.
• This system aimed to reduce emissions
at the lowest economic cost while
encouraging countries to stay within
their emission limits.
Emission
Trading

8. Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM)
• It allowed a country with an emission-
reduction commitment to implement an
emission-reduction project in developing
countries.
• earned saleable certified emission
reduction (CER) credits which can be
counted towards meeting Kyoto targets.
• CDM was designed to promote sustainable
development in poorer nations while
helping richer nations meet their goals
more flexibly.
1 CER = one tonne of
CO2

9. Joint Implementation
• This allowed one developed country to
invest in an emission-reduction project in
another developed country, usually one
with an economy in transition, like Russia or
Ukraine.
• The investing country would then receive
emission reduction units, or ERUs, which it
could count towards its Kyoto target.
• Joint Implementation encouraged cost-effective reductions and the transfer of technology and
expertise between countries with similar capacities.

10. • The United States never ratified it, despite being one of the world’s
largest emitters.
• Developing countries like China and India had no binding targets,
even though their emissions were rapidly increasing.
• There were no strong enforcement mechanisms, so countries that
missed their targets faced few consequences.
Challenges

11. • its main goal is to limit global warming to well below 2°C,
preferably 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.
• Countries set their own nationally determined
contributions, or NDCs, which they update every five years.
• While it’s not legally binding in terms of penalties, it relies on
transparency and peer pressure to encourage compliance
and ambition.
Transition to PARIS
AGREEMENT

12. • Kyoto Protocol: First major global effort to reduce greenhouse gases
• Introduced binding targets and flexibility mechanisms
• Faced challenges: limited participation, lack of enforcement, major
emitters excluded
• Lessons learned led to the Paris Agreement
• Paris Agreement: more inclusive, flexible, and forward-looking
• Ongoing need for global cooperation on climate change
CONCLUSION

13. Thank you!