Kyoto Compliance Committee Notes Gaps in National Reporting

The Kyoto Protocol's Compliance Committee released its second annual report this October, noting disturbing gaps in national compliance reporting required under the Protocol. The report covers the period from 9 September 2006 to 7 September 2007, and also provides information on various organizational matters, the work of the Committee during this period, and various budgetary matters.

The Committee report notes that four parties (Canada, Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg), each with quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments under Annex B of the Protocol, failed to submit their national communications - containing the supplementary information required under Article 7(4) of the Protocol - to the Secretariat by January 2007, one year after the deadline. As of 7 September 2007, two of these Parties (Italy and Luxembourg) had still failed to comply with that obligation.

Additionally, the Committee notes that a significant number Parties with quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments, inscribed in Annex B, did not submit to the Secretariat in a timely manner their fourth national communication. These reports contain information that the expert review teams need to perform the reviews provided for in Article 8, paragraph 3, of the Kyoto Protocol.

Finally, the Committee took note of the information provided in the presentation by the Secretariat on "Reporting and review under the Kyoto Protocol: Status and Outlook." Concern was raised during this meeting about whether experts on review teams receive sufficient support in order to participate in reviews and adequately perform their tasks. In this context, the committee was also concerned about whether sufficient resources are made available for training and support of experts.

Compliance with, and enforcement of, obligations to mitigate climate change are of the utmost importance due to the imminent threat of global warming. A study funded by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration warns that the Arctic ice cap will completely melt by 2040 or sooner, rather than the earlier prediction of 2070. This ice melt will translate into a rise in global sea levels, causing flooding and possibly displacing hundreds of millions of people. Climate scientist James Hansen warms that we may have as little as 10 years until the tipping point for abrupt and irreversible climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol compliance mechanism is designed to strengthen the Protocol's environmental integrity, support the carbon market's credibility and ensure transparency of accounting by Parties.

This Compliance Committee's report was presented at the Third Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, took place in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007.

The full report can be found at this address (PDF).