What would happen if a country missed its Kyoto emissions target?
The compliance regime for the Kyoto Protocol is among the most comprehensive and rigorous in the international arena. If a party fails to meet its emissions target, the protocol requires it to make up the difference plus a further 30% as a penalty in the second commitment period (after 2012). It must also develop a compliance action plan, setting out the actions that it will take to meet the target and the timetable for doing so. In addition, its eligibility to sell emission units under the protocol’s international emissions trading system will be suspended.
