(c) International Conventions and Agreements: The United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force in March 1994. The
Convention included a commitment by Parties, both developed countries and
economies in transition (Annex I Parties), to aim to return emissions of CO
2
and other
GHGs not controlled by the Montreal Protocol to their 1990 levels by 2000, although
relatively few Parties actually met this goal. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in
December 1997. It was designed to enter into force after being ratified by at least 55
Parties to the Convention, including developed countries accounting for at least 55%
of the total 1990 CO
2
emissions from this group. With the 2004 decision by the
Russian Federation to ratify the Protocol, it entered into force in early 2005. In any
event, countries are also bound by their commitments under the Convention.
Ozone-depleting GHGs are controlled by the Vienna Convention and the Montreal
Protocol.
(d) International Targets/Recommended Standards: The Kyoto Protocol sets
targets for each Annex I Party with a view to reducing these Parties’ overall emissions
of the six main GHGs by at least 5% below 1990 levels in the commitment period
2008–2012.
(e) Linkages to Other Indicators: This indicator is closely linked to many other
economic and environmental indicators, including energy use per capita and per unit
of GDP, primary and final energy use and electricity generation, fuel mix,
atmospheric emissions, etc.
METHODOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION (a) Underlying Definitions and Concepts: GHGs contribute in varying degrees to
global warming depending on their heat absorption capacity and their lifetime in the
atmosphere. The GWP describes the cumulative radiative forcing effect of a gas over
a time horizon (usually chosen for reporting purposes to be 100 years) compared with
that of CO
2
. For example, the 100-year GWP of CH
4
is 21, meaning that the global
warming impact of 1 kilogram (kg) of CH
4
is 21 times higher than that of 1 kg of
CO
2
. The GWP of N
2
O is 310. No GWPs are provided for indirect GHGs. Sinks for
GHGs should not be included in the indicator. There are currently no agreed
international inventory methodologies for the quantification of engineered sinks in
which energy-related GHG emissions can potentially be captured and stored, while
biological sinks are not directly linked with energy-related GHG emissions.
