VERTIC Programmes: Kyoto Protocol

Environment projects

Climate change projects

Tackling climate change through the 1992 UN Framework Convention, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the post-2012 regime: promoting verification and implementation

Researcher: Larry MacFaul
Funder: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

VERTIC's climate change project promotes the development and maintenance of effective and coherent verification systems in the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its 1997 Kyoto Protocol and proposals for the post-2012 regime. Robust verification systems are vital for the effective functioning of both the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol. These systems should allow determination of states parties' compliance by providing complete and accurate assessments of whether and how states parties are meeting their obligations under the climate change regime. These systems should also facilitate and promote compliance as well as giving parties and other entities the opportunity to learn from and assist each other in the development of best practice in designing policies to tackle climate change.

The UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol contain wide-ranging monitoring and reporting requirements as well as formalized review and compliance procedures.

Project activities include:
• research on the effectiveness of the current verification systems of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, proposals for the post-2012 regime, and related areas.
• organizing workshops and roundtables
• participating in the UNFCCC Conference of Parties and other climate change meetings as well as liaising with national governments, international bodies and NGOs (including Climate Action Network).

• Recent project highlights
• Publications and online resources

Current project activities:

Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol

VERTIC and the Regional Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) are currently organizing a workshop for countries with economies in transition and a selection of developing countries on monitoring and reporting requirements under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol. The workshop will be held 9-10 October 2006 in Budapest, Hungary. Please check this page soon for a full agenda and list of speakers.

The future of international cooperation on climate change: proposals for the post-2012 regime

VERTIC is currently preparing a new project which will examine monitoring, reporting, review and compliance issues in proposals for the post-2012 climate change regime. The project will evaluate the operationality of the proposals in terms of:

• what would need to be done to develop the appropriate international monitoring, review and compliance systems (treaty architecture) and;

• what countries would need to do, in terms of building capacity to develop the necessary institutional, technical and legal systems (including ensuring the relevant entities within their jurisdiction also have the appropriate capacity), in order to implement the treaty requirements.

Upcoming climate change projects

VERTIC Science Fellowship

Science Fellow (Environment): VERTIC will be recruiting for this position in August 2006. Please check the employment page for further details.
Funders: Polden-Puckham Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation