| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2013) 769 final (6.11.13) |
| Publication Date | 06/11/2013 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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At the Doha Climate Change Conference in December 2012, the 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (‘the Convention’) adopted an amendment to the Protocol. This ‘Doha Amendment’ establishes the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, starting on 1 January 2013 and ending on 31 December 2020. Under the Doha Amendment, the European Union, its Member States and Iceland commit to limit their average annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in the years 2013 to 2020 to 80% of their base year emissions (mostly 1990). This commitment is based on the emission reduction targets laid down in the climate and energy package adopted in 2009, in particular the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the Effort Sharing Decision. The calculation of the commitment takes into account the differences in scope between European Union legislation and the Kyoto Protocol’s second commitment period. This approach is in line with the conclusions of the Council in March 2012, which stated that the joint commitment of the European Union, its Member States and Iceland should be based on the climate and energy package, but also that the emission reduction obligations of individual Member States in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ‘shall not exceed their obligations agreed in EU legislation’. This approach was followed in the submission by the European Union and its Member States on their commitment under a second commitment period in April 2012. Apart from adopting the Doha Amendment, the Doha Climate Change Conference also adopted a number of decisions on technical issues related to the implementation of the substantive mitigation commitments listed in the Doha Amendment: these include decisions on the accounting and management of Kyoto units in the transition from the first to the second commitment period and for the second commitment period. A further set of decisions, completing the implementation package, is in preparation, and the European Union is working to help ensure their adoption at the Warsaw Climate Change Conference in November 2013. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2013:769:FIN |
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| Subject Categories | Environment |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
