108 STATE OF THE WORLD'S FORESTS 2001 The meeting approved a programme of technical another; and the Clean Development training and scientific exchanges among the Mechanism(CDM), by which project-based countries of these regions in all aspects of dryland certified emission reductions achieved in non- degradation control (e.g. water management, soil Annex i countries are transferred to annex i conservation, agroforestry and sand-dune countries Issues under consideration that relate to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol include the United Nations framework Convention on development of a compliance system, Climate Change methodologies for the estimation of emissions and The FCCC, which was adopted in 1992 at sinks, and reporting and accounting. At COP-4, UNCED, aims at stabilizing the concentration of held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November greenhouse gases in the atmosphere so as to 1998, Parties agreed to a two-year work prevent dangerous human-induced changes to the programme(the Buenos Aires Plan of Action global climate system. Parties to the Convention to tackle these and other implementation committed themselves to carrying out national issues inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and Because a number of questions related to the carbon sinks. Industrialized countries and treatment of land use, land use change and countries with economies in transition(FCCC forestry (LULUCF) in the Kyoto Protocol Annex I Parties)committed themselves to remained to be clarified, in 1998 the Subsidiary yorking towards voluntary goals in the reduction Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA of emissions. These obligations were intensified to the FCCC requested the Intergovernmental and specified in the Kyoto Protocol, which was Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)to examine the adopted at COP-3 of the FCCC. held in Kyoto, state of scientific and technical understanding of The three years since then have been marked by on Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestya w i Japan in december 1997 LULUCF issues. IPCC presented the Special Repo continued discussions and negotiations on details 12th session of the SBSTA and the Subsidiary regarding the implementation of the Kyoto Body on Implementation, in Bonn, Germany in Protocol, of which the salient points are as follows. June 2000. Although this report casts further light Thirty-nine developed countries and countries on the subject area, Parties still have to negotiate with economies in transition (ie. FCCC how to deal with forests and forestry aspects in Annex I Parties)committed themselves to the context of the Kyoto ProtocoL. Issues to be reducing their aggregate greenhouse gas addressed include emissions to at least 5 percent below 1990 what domestic land use, land use change levels over the period 2008 through 2012 orestry activities may be included in meet Quantified emission limitation or reduction QELRCS: commitments(QELRCs) for 2008-2012 were whether forestry activities that affect biotic established for each developed and transition carbon stocks and fluxes, for example forest country, these countries and their QELRCs are conservation and reforestation, are to be listed in Annex B of the Kyoto ProtocoL. included in the cdm- Three"flexibility mechanisms"for the definitions, guidelines and standards for mitigation of climate change through joint accounting for carbon stocks and fluxes ed on emissions trading between Annex B countries Joint Implementation (D projects, which entail SLULUCF is a term used to denote all human activities that the transfer of project-based emission an affect stocks of biotic carbon and thereby cause emissions reduction units from one annex i country to and/ or sinks of biotic carbon.108 STATE OF THE WORLD’S FORESTS 2001 The meeting approved a programme of technical training and scientific exchanges among the countries of these regions in all aspects of dryland degradation control (e.g. water management, soil conservation, agroforestry and sand-dune fixation). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change The FCCC, which was adopted in 1992 at UNCED, aims at stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere so as to prevent dangerous human-induced changes to the global climate system. Parties to the Convention committed themselves to carrying out national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sinks. Industrialized countries and countries with economies in transition (FCCC Annex I Parties) committed themselves to working towards voluntary goals in the reduction of emissions. These obligations were intensified and specified in the Kyoto Protocol, which was adopted at COP-3 of the FCCC, held in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997. The three years since then have been marked by continued discussions and negotiations on details regarding the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, of which the salient points are as follows. • Thirty-nine developed countries and countries with economies in transition (i.e. FCCC Annex I Parties) committed themselves to reducing their aggregate greenhouse gas emissions to at least 5 percent below 1990 levels over the period 2008 through 2012. • Quantified emission limitation or reduction commitments (QELRCs) for 2008-2012 were established for each developed and transition country; these countries and their QELRCs are listed in Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol. • Three “flexibility mechanisms” for the mitigation of climate change through joint activities among countries were agreed on: emissions trading between Annex B countries; Joint Implementation (JI) projects, which entail the transfer of project-based emission reduction units from one Annex I country to another; and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), by which project-based certified emission reductions achieved in non￾Annex I countries are transferred to Annex I countries. Issues under consideration that relate to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol include the development of a compliance system, methodologies for the estimation of emissions and sinks, and reporting and accounting. At COP-4, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November 1998, Parties agreed to a two-year work programme (the Buenos Aires Plan of Action) to tackle these and other implementation issues. Because a number of questions related to the treatment of land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF)8 in the Kyoto Protocol remained to be clarified, in 1998 the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) to the FCCC requested the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to examine the state of scientific and technical understanding of LULUCF issues. IPCC presented the Special Report on Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry at the 12th session of the SBSTA and the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, in Bonn, Germany in June 2000. Although this report casts further light on the subject area, Parties still have to negotiate how to deal with forests and forestry aspects in the context of the Kyoto Protocol. Issues to be addressed include: • what domestic land use, land use change and forestry activities may be included in meeting QELRCs; • whether forestry activities that affect biotic carbon stocks and fluxes, for example forest conservation and reforestation, are to be included in the CDM; • definitions, guidelines and standards for accounting for carbon stocks and fluxes; 8 LULUCF is a term used to denote all human activities that can affect stocks of biotic carbon and thereby cause emissions and/or sinks of biotic carbon