The Kyoto Protocol operationalises the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, committing industrialised countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to individually agreed targets. The Convention itself merely requires these countries to adopt mitigation policies and measures and to submit periodic reports. The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principles and provisions of the Convention and follows its annex structure. It only binds developed countries and places a greater burden on them based on the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities’, as it recognises that they are largely responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
