Compliance with the Kyoto Protocol

To ensure that countries comply with their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol a Compliance Committee has been established. The committee is charged with keeping an eye on whether countries are fulfilling their commitments in areas such as greenhouse gas calculations and emissions reductions.

If a country fails to comply with its obligations there are three types of penalties. First, the country must present a plan outlining how it will ensure it complies with its obligations in the future. Second, it loses the right to participate in the quota trading system and flexible mechanisms. Third, countries that are not in compliance with their emissions targets will be required to make up for the deficiency in the next commitment period (post-2012) plus a 30% penalty – in addition to any new requirements.

The reductions that the Annex 1 countries have committed to are defined as the average reduction over the period 2008-2012 as compared with 1990 levels. It will not be possible to determine whether a country has met its reduction commitments until 2012, when the period has expired. This means, that while the first two sanctions can already be applied when a country for example doesn’t meet it’s reporting commitments, the third mentioned sanction can only enter into force after first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol has expired.

Greece – the first country penalised for not complying with its obligations
In April 2008 Greece became the first country to be punished for not complying with its Kyoto Protocol obligations. The country was penalised for not complying with its obligation to keep emissions records. As a result, it has prepared a report how on it will ensure future compliance with its obligations and was excluded from participating in the flexible mechanisms until the report was approved. The Compliance Committee has now approved the report, and Greece is again in compliance with the Protocol.