The Kyoto Protocol and Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol have been extended to Guernsey. Through the Climate Change Policy Guernsey has also agreed in principle to the extension of the Paris Agreement.
The Kyoto Protocol
- The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December 1997, but only entered into force on 16 February 2005. There are currently over 190 parties signed up to the Kyoto Protocol.
- The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and commits industrialised countries and economies to transition to reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets to 2012. Guernsey is required to report annually on its Greenhouse Gas Emissions and this information can be found at Greenhouse Gases - States of Guernsey (gov.gg).
- The Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December 2012 and covered targets for the period 2013-2020. The Amendment entered into force on 31st December 2020.
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change recognised for the first time that there was a problem. The ultimate objective of the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations "at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human induced) interference with the climate system." It states that "such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner."
- The idea is that, as they are the source of most past and current greenhouse gas emissions, developed countries are expected to do the most to cut emissions on home ground.
The Paris Agreement
- The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change and was adopted by 196 parties in December 2015 at COP 21. It then entered into force on 4 November 2016.
- The aim of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to below 2, but preferably to 1.5, degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this goal, countries aim to achieve a climate neutral world by 2050.
- Securing the extension of the Paris Agreement was included within the Government Work Plan in 2021, and at COP 26 Guernsey reaffirmed the in principle aim to sign up to the Agreement.
