Russia formally ratified the Kyoto Protocol 鈥� aimed at curbing global greenhouse gas emissions 鈥� on Thursday. In doing so, it triggered a 90-day countdown to bring the international climate treaty into force.
The United Nations protocol will become legally binding on 16 February 2005, committing the 30 industrialised countries that have backed it to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions to nearly 5% below 1990 levels. They will have until 2012 to achieve this drop.
鈥淭his is an historic step forward in the world鈥檚 efforts to combat a truly global threat,鈥� said Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN. The ratification documents, signed by Russian president Vladimir Putin, were handed to Annan by Russia鈥檚 UN ambassador at a meeting of the Security Council in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Most importantly, said Annan, Russia鈥檚 support 鈥渆nds a long period of uncertainty鈥�. The Kyoto Protocol has been in limbo since 1997, when it was first negotiated in Kyoto, Japan.
Tipping the balance
For the protocol to come into force it needed the support of countries that accounted for more than 55% of the industrialised nations鈥�1990 greenhouse gas emissions. When the US said it would not sign up, this crucial threshold looked out of reach but Russia鈥檚 support has finally swung it, taking the percentage of emissions covered from 44.2% to 61.6%.
鈥淲e have a board outside my office tracking the ratifications,鈥� says Richard Kinley, acting deputy executive secretary of the UN鈥檚 climate change secretariat. He says that changing the emission levels on that board was 鈥渁 symbolic event for me today鈥�.
Russia鈥檚 lower parliament, the Duma, voted 334 to 73 in favour of ratifying the protocol on 22 October 2004 after the cabinet gave their backing on 30 September 2004. This final ratification has been widely anticipated.
鈥淏ut for us, the aficionados, this is the moment that really counts,鈥� Kinley told New 杏吧原创. 鈥淣ow the clock is ticking.鈥�
鈥淭he news that the Kyoto protocol is set to become international law is a victory for the climate,鈥� says Professor Brian Hoskins, chair of the UK鈥檚 Royal Society global environmental research committee. 鈥淭he protocol is an essential first step towards stabilising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.鈥�
