Browsing by Subject "Kyoto protocol"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Analysis of possible quantified emission reduction commitments by individual Annex I Parties
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2009) Winkler, Harald; Marquard, Andrew; Letete, Thapelo
    This paper draws on research in the public domain, in order to provide an analytical basis for a proposal on possible quantified emission reduction commitments for Annex 1 countries under the Kyoto Protocol.
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    The effect of response measures to climate change on South Africa's economy and trade
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2009) Jooste, Meagan; Winkler, Harald; van Seventer, Dirk; Truong, Truong P
    Article 4.8 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides that ‘Parties shall give full consideration to … the impact of the implementation of response measures, especially on … (h) Countries whose economies are highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing and export, and/or on consumption of fossil fuels and associated energy intensive products’. Article 2.3 of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC requires that developed country Parties (Annex I) ‘shall strive to implement policies and measures … in such a way to minimize … effects on international trade’ as well as minimizing the adverse effects on developing country Parties (Article 3.14). If Annex I Parties implement mitigation, they are assumed to buy less oil, coal or other fossil fuels. In this context, response measures are actions taken or initiated by developed countries (Annex 1) but with the impacts and ramifications flowing on to developing countries. The concern of developing countries, therefore, is in those impacts which to a greater or lesser extent depend on the degree of exposure of developing countries to trade (with or without the implementation of corresponding climate measures within the developing countries themselves). The South African economy derives much of its growth from production related to the energy-intensive sectors of its economy. In general, with the climate negotiations on the future of the climate regime post-2012, the implications for energy-intensive and trade-exposed sectors of the economy need to be clearly understood. This research confirms findings of previous studies (see Section 1.3), that the impacts of response measures may imply losses of exports in some sectors, but also possibly gains in other sectors. In this report the scenarios examined are broader than those examined under an earlier Fund of Research into Industrial Development, Growth and Equity (FRIDGE) study. In particular, this study highlights the impacts which response measures have on sectors other than the manufacturing sector, including mining, agriculture and tourism. The present report has provided a more specific identification of energy-intensive and trade-intensive sectors – and those that are both energy- and trade-intensive. We have also examined variations related to scenarios with and without emission trading among Annex I countries, and extended this to the consideration of a no-lose crediting approach for non-Annex I (NAI) countries.
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    Electricity from solar home systems in South Africa
    (Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2007) Prasad, Gisela
    In developed countries, renewable energy (RE) technologies are most often introduced for environmental reasons, to reduce GHG emissions mandated under the Kyoto Protocol – which South Africa signed in 2002. The Protocol does not commit non-Annex 1 (developing) countries such as South Africa to any emission targets in the first commitment period (2008 to 2012), however, and it creates no external pressure to reduce emissions. So it is understandable that in this case study the major government concern is not the environment, but access to electricity for the poor in remote rural areas. RE technologies are not widely disseminated in South Africa, although solar resources are very high and solar technologies are particularly suitable. The general environmental awareness is limited when compared to European countries and it is only recently that the media have been more regularly covering issues such as global warming and its impact on South Africa. The South African government generally supports RE, and its RE policy stipulates a voluntary target of 10 000 GWh to be supplied from renewable sources by 2013. The target is approximately 10% of the country’s electricity demand, of which now less than 1% is met from renewable sources (DME 2004). Different players in projects and the industry give various explanations and reasons why the market has not responded more positively, often citing high initial capital cost as the major explanation. The two South African case studies describe solar water heaters (SWHs) (case study 1) and, in this report, electricity from solar home systems (case study 2). Both case studies include the impact of poverty on the dissemination and acceptance of the technology. SHS using photovoltaic panels to generate electricity have been provided as part of the National Electrification programme in remote poor rural areas to which the grid has not been extended, as a substitute for grid electricity, although in fact subsidised SHS were expected to bring light and television services at a much faster rate than they actually did.
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    Fair and effective multilateralism in the post-Copenhagen climate negotiations
    (University of Cape Town, 2010) Winkler, Harald; Beaumont, Judy
    Copenhagen failed to agree a new legal treaty, and fragmentation is now a possible scenario. What options exist for a fair and effective multilateralism that might bring about the next turning point? Possible changes are considered in the context of the ‘how, what, where and who’ of multilateral climate negotiations. Fair process is crucial to an acceptable outcome. In order to increase effectiveness, multilateralism may need to define contributions from smaller groups, on a representative basis. The functions of other fora must be to build common understanding, whereas decisions and agreements are negotiated under the UNFCCC and its instruments. Reorganization of work within the UNFCCC will need to enhance its catalytic role, including how it supports domestic action. A mix of processes is needed to speed up the pace of decision-making, combining well-established UN procedures with some innovative ideas including those from the theory and practice in other multilateral environmental agreements. A review in 2015 must increase ambition. We need to invest in the UNFCCC, which remains the only legitimate, fully inclusive forum. Only a legally binding agreement ensures that others also act (‘fair’) and a binding nature is the best assurance of implementation (‘effective’). Equity demands a fair and effective outcome.
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    Leveraging carbon revenue for poverty alleviation
    (2013) Atkins, Peter; Prasad, Gisela
    One of the intentions of the Kyoto Protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was to use markets to allow the developed countries to supplement their own greenhouse gas reduction efforts with carbon reductions made in developing countries by purchasing carbon offsets. By these means, it was hoped, global greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced and developing countries would benefit through incoming carbon revenue and technology transfer. This has worked for China and India, which together account for 88% of all CDM carbon credits issued so far, but it hasn’t worked for Africa which has only a miserly 1% of the issued credits. The main reasons for this disparity are thought to be the high transaction costs of the CDM and the long and complicated registration, validation, monitoring and verification processes. The costs are around R400 000 to R2 000 000 per project (CCWG, 2009) . In addition it can take up to three years to get carbon revenue, if the project is one of the lucky 13% of projects to make it through to the end (see Appendix A – CDM Pipeline analysis). Partly in response to these CDM shortcomings, the voluntary carbon market has emerged. The voluntary carbon market has many players using many different standards and rules and regulations. Unfortunately, the CDM-like standards used by the bigger voluntary carbon market registries also incur high transaction costs and long lead times and therefore don’t work for typical, small African poverty alleviation projects with low greenhouse gas emission reduction potential. This has encouraged the development of small, agile carbon registries using simplified standards, which better fit the African projects. One such small registry and one of its poverty alleviation projects are analysed in this paper.
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    Testing the mitigation manual on trainers
    (University of Cape Town, 2005) Nkomo, Jabavu Clifford
    The Energy Research Centre (ERC), together with the Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND) in Sri Lanka and the Environment and Development Action (ENDA) in Senegal, are developing training manuals to train trainers under UNITAR’s Climate Change Capacity Development Programme (C3D). The rationale for this is clear. The UNFCCC seeks to strengthen non-Annex 1 countries’ effective participation in the Kyoto Protocol process, and to strengthen existing and/or establish new training and research institutions to ensure sustainability of capacity building programmes. These capacity building initiatives should be country driven, involve stakeholder participation, and address specific needs and conditions of the country. For this reason, the ERC is developing training modules on climate change mitigation. ENDA is developing modules on climate change on vulnerability and adaptation; and MIND on sustainable development.