They concluded further that new negotiations to develop additional commitments beyond the year 2000 had to be initiated. Under the mandate, parties to the climate convention are to elaborate and agree upon actions that will set quantifiable greenhouse limitation and reduction targets beyond the year 2000. Subsequent meetings have reinforced a commitment among the negotiating parties to attempt to define an enhanced protocol of responsibility to deal with limiting or ameliorating greenhouse gas emissions. What is sought is a legally binding instrument that will strengthen actions by all signatories. The plan is to have the enhanced protocol available for endorsement at a meeting in Kyoto, Japan, scheduled for December 1997.
Many issues are currently subject to negotiation and analysis.
If these and other issues can be resolved over the next year, meaningful actions could affect the energy projections contained in this report, especially beyond 2010. Over the past year, several proposals have been presented for consideration under the Framework Convention. A German proposal targets reductions of 10 percent by 2005 and 20 percent by 2010 and stabilization after 2010. Copyright 1997 by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security.