In Focus

Kyoto Protocol’s Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee agrees plan for 2015

Bonn, 13 March 2015 – The committee that supervises the Kyoto Protocol’s Joint Implementation mechanism has adopted a plan to maintain and improve the mechanism as a tool for climate change mitigation.

The Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC) at its 36th meeting agreed to continue developing and promoting JI, focusing in 2015 on strengthening policy guidance and looking for opportunities for cooperation, specifically in the area of accreditation, with the other project-based mechanism under the Protocol, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

“Countries need good tools to encourage and focus investment,” said Julia Justo Soto, who was elected Chair of the JISC at the meeting. “JI is an effective, ready-made tool, tried and tested.”

In the past few years, the JISC has been instrumental in coming up with improvements in the way JI operates, including recommendations for a streamlined mechanism with broader, more effective oversight.

“We’re going to keep making the joint implementation mechanism even better, and continue to urge countries to use it,” said Ms. Justo Soto.

The JI mechanism, which rewards with saleable units projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, is facing difficulty due mainly to low demand, ultimately tied to countries’ level of ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The JISC is also challenged critically by the fact that JI units are created by converting a portion of a country’s total allowable emissions, so-called assigned amount units, which for the current commitment period of the Protocol have yet to be issued.

Ms. Justo Soto, who is Executive Director of the National Environmental Fund (FONAM), Peru, served as Vice-Chair last year and takes over from Piotr Dombrowicki, who remains a member. Ms. Justo Soto has worked on carbon projects for more than 10 years. She is an economist with a Masters degree in environmental management and is a PhD candidate in sustainable development.

At the meeting, the JISC elected Konrad Raeschke-Kessler of Germany as Vice-Chair. Mr. Raeschke-Kessler is a senior scientific officer for the German Emissions Trading Authority at the Federal Environment Agency, working mostly on legal and policy aspects of CDM and JI.

 For a full report of the meeting see <http://ji.unfccc.int/Sup_Committee/Meetings/index.html>.

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About Joint Implementation under the Kyoto Protocol

Through the JI mechanism, a country with an emission reduction/limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol may take part in an emission reduction (or emission removal) project in any other country with a commitment under the Protocol, and count the resulting emission reduction/removal towards meeting its Kyoto target.

JI projects earn emission reduction units (ERUs), each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. ERUs are created through the conversion of an equivalent number of a country’s assigned amount units. All emission reductions must be real, measurable, verifiable and additional to what would have occurred without the project.

Under JI there are two “tracks” by which projects can apply for approval: Party verification and verification by an international independent body, the JI Supervisory Committee (JISC). The JISC answers ultimately to the Parties that have ratified the Protocol.