Russia pulls out of second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol

Russia pulls out of second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol

2010-12-11 04:53:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- Russian envoy Alexander Bedritsky on Friday announced that Russia will not participate in the second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol, RIA Novosti reported.

The announcement from Russia came as the European country opposes the renewal of the Kyoto protocol and refuses to sign an extension to the climate accords. The first commitment period ends in 2012.

The Kyoto protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing green house (GHG) emissions.

The legally binding agreement restricts carbon emissions as a new global climate is needed to continue efforts beyond 2012. Bedritsky said that here had been no basic changes in the negotiation process.

Japan announced first that it would not sign an extension of the Kyoto deal. Canada is also expected to oppose extending the Kyoto agreement.

Russia believes that the climate change should be addressed by modern technology, rather than cutting carbon emissions as stipulated in the Kyoto protocol.

Russian President Dmitry Medveded said earlier that the 2009 Copenhagen summit was a disappointment as the G20 leaders failed to reach an agreement during the summit. The decision was taken after China's reluctance to agree on binding commitments.

China has repeatedly rejected committing to restricting greenhouse emissions despite being the world's largest emitter.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on December, 11, 1997 and entered into force on February 16, 2005. The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol were adopted at COP 7 in Marrakesh in 2001, and were called the Marrakesh Accords.

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