Company Name : Nepra Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Source : http://www.csag.uct.ac.za/carbon_credits

FOCUS ON AFRICA

The Kyoto Protocol is the main instrument of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, intended to bring about reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from its signatories for the period 2008-2012. The greenhouse gases regulated are: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Hydroflurocarbons, Petroflurocarbons and Sulphur Hexafloride. The Protocol came into force on the 16 February 2005.

Developed countries (Annex 1) agree under the Protocol to curb emissions by varying amounts, but generally the reduction is between 5-8% of their emissions in base year 1990. All Annex 1 parties submit annual inventories of their greenhouse gas emissions. Parties can also trade emissions so that countries that fail to meet targets can buy credits from a country that reduced its emissions more than agreed to.

South Africa is a signatory, but as it is a developing nation (Non-Annex 1) it does not have to reduce its emissions. It can however partake in another emission trading schemes which allow developed countries to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries (Clean Development Mechanism).

Critics of the Protocol note that some industrialised developing countries, including South Africa, China and India, are nearing developed parties emissions and therefore unless these large emitters voluntairly reduce their emissions, the effect on total emissions may be negligible. This is one of the reasons why the United States has refused to sign the Protocol, even though it is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.