DUSHANBE, October 15, 2008, Asia-Plus — The lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of Tajik parliament (Majlisi Oli) has deferred ratification of the Kyoto Protocol
A regular sitting of the fifth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, presided over by its chairman, Saydullo Khayrulloyev, was held on October 15.
Presenting the issue on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, Ms. Mahbouba Nuriddinova, chairperson of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on Family, Health Care Protection and Ecology, noted that according to experts’ estimates, greenhouse gas emissions have reduced in Tajikistan since 1990, following decline in output.
Speaking at the session, MP Shodi Shabdolov noted that there ought not to ratify the Protocol without knowing its effects to the national economy. “Thus, tomorrow any country may file claims over environmental problems caused by our aluminum industry,” the parliamentarian said.
After long discussions, parliamentarians came to an agreement to return to that issue at the next sitting after detailed consultations with the government.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012. The major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that while the Convention encouraged industrialized countries to stabilize GHG emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so.
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. 182 Parties of the Convention have ratified its Protocol to date.
Under the Treaty, countries must meet their targets primarily through national measures. However, the Kyoto Protocol offers them an additional means of meeting their targets by way of three market-based mechanisms: emissions trading – known as “the carbon market;” the clean development mechanism (CDM); and joint implementation (JI). The mechanisms help stimulate green investment and help Parties meet their emission targets in a cost-effective way.
