The Kyoto Protocol

Summary: February 16, 2005: The Kyoto Protocol (Brussels)

The Kyoto Protocol

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol provide the only international framework for combating climate change. [1]

The UNFCCC, the first international measure to address the problem, was adopted in May 1992 and came into force in March 1994. It obliges all its signatories to establish national programmes for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to submit regular reports, and requires the industrialised signatory countries [2], but not developing countries, to stabilise their greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000.

By differentiating between industrialised and developing countries, the UNFCCC recognises that industrialised countries are responsible for most of the current buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and also have the institutional and financial capacities for reducing their emissions. The Parties meet annually to review progress and discuss further measures, and a number of global monitoring and reporting mechanisms are in place to keep track of greenhouse gas emissions.

Even in 1994 it was recognised that the initial UNFCCC commitments would not be enough to halt the global increase in greenhouse gas emissions. On 11 December 1997, governments took a further step and adopted a protocol to the UNFCCC in the Japanese town of Kyoto: the Kyoto Protocol. Building on the UNFCCC framework, the Protocol sets legally binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions from industrialised countries and envisages innovative market-based implementation mechanisms aimed at keeping the cost of curbing emissions low.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialised countries are required to reduce their emissions of six greenhouse gases (CO2, which is the most important one, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride) on average by 5.2 % below the 1990 level during the first "commitment period" from 2008 to 2012. There are no emission targets for developing countries.

A five-year commitment period was chosen rather than a single target year to smooth out annual fluctuations in emissions due to uncontrollable factors such as weather.

International negotiations on commitments after 2012 are scheduled to start in 2005. On 9 February 2005, the Commission adopted a Communication [3] setting out the key elements of the EU's post-2012 strategy

With the Protocol's entry into force on 16 February 2005, the commitments entered into by ratifying countries become legally binding. The rules for entry into force require that at least 55 Parties to the UNFCCC ratify the Protocol and that those include industrialised countries (Annex I countries) accounting for at least 55% of CO2 emissions in 1990. The first threshold was met some time ago, with no fewer than 140 countries plus the European Community having ratified to date. Russia's ratification on 18 November 2004 allowed the 55% threshold to be met and started the countdown to the Protocol's entry into force today, 90 days later. Only three countries with targets under the Protocol have not ratified it: Australia, Monaco and the United States.

After the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, negotiations on the details of the mechanisms it envisages and on the rules of implementation continued. The final negotiations were concluded with the Marrakesh Accords in 2001. The EU played a major role in bringing these negotiations to a successful conclusion.

For the complete text please go to:

EN - FR

Ref: EC05-070EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 16/2/2005

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