Does the Kyoto Protocol as an International Environmental Policy Promote Forest Carbon Sinks?

Under the background of carbon neutrality, the carbon sequestration of forest ecosystems is an important way to mitigate climate change. Forest could not only protect the environment but also an important industry for economic development. As an international climate policy that first recognized the role of forest carbon sinks on climate change, the question becomes, has the Kyoto Protocol promoted the development of forest carbon sinks in contracting parties? To explore this, data of forest can be obtained at the national level. Hence, data of economic, social, polity and climate in 147 countries is also collected. The generalized synthetic control method is adopted. The results show that the policy effect of the Kyoto Protocol was obvious and significant. Moreover, the effect was more significant after the enforcement in 2005. Especially after the first commitment period, the policy effect of the second period is more obvious. Some policy implications are drawn.

Inequity in International Climate Change Negotiations

The adoption of international climate agreements requires thorough negotiation between parties. This study aims to analyse the inequities between developed and developing countries in climate negotiations. This was done through a scrutiny of the main stages of these negotiations from the Rio Conference to the advent of the Paris Agreement. Our analysis has shown pervasive inequities along the climate negotiations over time. The UNFCCC made a qualitative separation between developed and developing countries in the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. Furthermore, the Kyoto Protocol emphasized this with the commitment of developed countries to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5%. The Kyoto Protocol by introducing flexibility mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) contributed to increase inequalities. The Paris Agreement has increased inequity by requesting each country to submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs) even though the global emission of developing countries remains very low. The negotiation style of developing countries is mostly limited to compromise and accommodation to the desires of the powerful states, as is the case in most international cooperation. The reality of the climate change negotiations mirrors the inequalities between developed and developing nations.

From Marrakesh to Glasgow: Looking Backward to Move Forward on Emissions Trading

The Paris Rulebook—nearly complete, but with the ‘markets’ text tied to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement unadopted after nearly three years—invites comparison with a similar effort under the Kyoto Protocol: the Marrakesh Accords. This article compares the Paris Rulebook and the 2001 Marrakesh Accords implementing the Kyoto Protocol as a way of exploring the similarities and differences in regulatory design between the two sub-regimes and their implications for sustainability and climate integrity. An in-depth analysis of the negotiating history and the text of the two instruments yields trenchant and perhaps unexpected conclusions. Issues that plagued the Marrakesh Accords also appear in similar form in the Paris Rulebook discussions around Article 6; however, because of the difference in structure between the two treaties, even more complex issues have arisen in the Rulebook negotiations. The article reflects on the fundamentally different purpose of the ‘markets’ text in the Rulebook in comparison with its Kyoto/Marrakesh precursor, as well as on the implications of those differences for the Article 6 negotiations.

A Question of Value: On the Legality of Using Kyoto Protocol Units under the Paris Agreement

The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol generated about 4.3 billion Assigned Amount Units (aaus) and about 180 million Certified Emission Reductions (cers) for carry-over by Annex i states and potential use as ‘overachievements’ or offsets to discount emissions under ndcs. The second commitment period may generate additional carry-over units, and there is an estimated ‘dormant’ amount of about 4.6 billion cers that could be issued from ongoing cdm projects. To rely on these units risks upsetting the process of trust-building necessary to increase ambition under the Paris Agreement. This article questions the legality of carry-overs but finds that a textual interpretation of the current legal framework under both treaties leaves the matter unresolved. With a more refined legal interpretation, based on the principles of environmental integrity and sound accounting under the Paris Agreement, the article re-evaluates aaus and cers under the Agreement, by relying on insights from a social theory of value and the critical studies literature on the political economy of carbon markets. The conclusion is that aaus cannot be used under the ndc accounting framework, as their formal value of 1 Mt CO2 eq. under the Kyoto Protocol is considerably diminished under the Agreement. As for cers, their value depends on different social realities related to their issuance. States or the cma should adopt transparent criteria to select the cers that are worth transitioning pursuant to the Article 6.4 mechanism. The same conceptual framework of value-attribution can also inform the design and operation of the Article 6 mechanisms and their units in order to attain higher environmental integrity and sound accounting for ndcs.

IMPLEMENTING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN UKRAINE: FINANCING FRAMEWORK

The article examines the features of sustainable development processes in Ukraine. In particular, the works of scientists on the issues of sustainable transformations of the economy, the problems of establishing a mechanism for the transition to the use of renewable energy sources and reducing carbon dioxide emissions are analyzed. The basic principles of legislative regulation of the processes of sustainable transformation in the context of Ukraine’s integration into the international model of sustainable development according to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are studied. The research objective is to study the mechanism of implementation of sustainable transformations in the economy of Ukraine, identification of the main problems of low-carbon strategy establishment in the context of harmonization of international and state legislation and identification of effective mechanisms for financing sustainable development processes. During the research, methods were used, such as: the dialectical method and methods of analysis and synthesis — to carry out a comparative analysis of legislation that regulates the processes of sustainable development, ways to implement a low-carbon strategy, study trends in carbon emissions in Ukraine; statistical method — to analyse the targets for changing the greenhouse gas emissions of Ukraine in 2020—2030 and the proposed target for 2050; structural and logical analysis — to study effective mechanisms of financing the processes of sustainable development in Ukraine, identify the ways of sustainable development projects funding. In general, the article reveals a number of problems that Ukraine faces as a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. The main tools of the country’s transition to a low-carbon strategy have been identified. The economic mechanisms to ensure the fulfillment of the country’s obligations under the Kyoto Protocol have been studied. Possible ways of financing the processes of sustainable transformation are considered, among which, in particular, we can highlight the scheme of «green» investments. Keywords: sustainable economic development, Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, low carbon economy, mechanism for financing sustainable development. JEL Classification Q01, Q4, Q5 Formulas: 0; fig.: 1; tabl.: 0; bibl.: 36.

The Use of Remote Sensing Data to Estimate Land Area with Forest Vegetation Cover in the Context of Selected Forest Definitions

(1) Background: Like many other countries, Poland is obliged to report forest area to the Climate Convention (UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN). Differences between national and international forest definitions lead to differences between actual and reported forest area. Remote sensing is a useful tool for estimating forest area for reporting purposes. One of the most important parts of the estimation is the choice of a basal area to calculate the percentage of vegetation cover. (2) Methods: Height, crown projection area, and minimum complex area were used to classify the area with forest vegetation. Percentage canopy cover was determined using three different methods based on segmentation polygons, triangular grid and canopy height model pixels. The accuracy of the above methods was verified by manual vectorization performed on a selected set of test plots in the Milicz study area according to the international definitions. The differences were examined using three statistical metrics. (3) Conclusions: This paper compares for the first time methods for determining the area for which canopy cover is calculated (using data from (ALS) and discusses the differences between them in the context of accuracy (the correspondence between the results and the reference data) and the complexity of the process (time and effort required to perform the analysis). This is important in the context of reporting, estimating carbon stocks and biodiversity to mitigate the effects of climate change. Method 2 proved to be the most accurate method, Method 1 was found to be the worst option. Accuracy was better in the case of the Kyoto Protocol definition.

Unresolved Issues of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement – Is a Compromise Possible in Glasgow

Article 6 of the Paris Climate Agreement, adopted in 2015, defines three mechanisms that stimulate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These are the trading of the results of emission reductions, the implementation of climate projects, and so-called non-market approaches. However, the rules for the application of Article 6 have not been agreed so far. Among the remaining contradictions in the positions of the participating countries are different understandings of approaches to prevent double counting of the results of project activities, mandatory deductions for adaptation purposes, and the transfer of unused carbon units under the Kyoto Protocol. At the same time, some countries have already initiated pilot projects under Article 6 with the intention that, in the coming years, they will become Article 6 projects. In November 2021, the 26th United Nations (UN) Climate Conference will be held in Glasgow. Experts link the effectiveness of forthcoming forum with completion of Article 6 negotiations. In this article, the main problematic issues in the negotiations are considered and proposals for the Russian position at the upcoming conference are formulated.