Japan's Efforts Towards the Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP7)

24 October 2001

1. Outline

The Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP7) is being held from 29 October (Monday) to 9 November (Friday) (the high-level segment will take place from 7 November (Wednesday) to 9 November (Friday)) in Marrakesh, the Kingdom of Morocco. COP7 will be held with the aim of achieving agreement on legal documents based on the basic agreement on the "core elements" of the Kyoto Protocol (the Bonn Agreements) that was reached at the resumed COP6 in July this year. If agreement is achieved at COP7 concerning the detailed rules on Protocol implementation, it is expected that this would increase international momentum towards the entry into force of the Protocol by 2002 and towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in September 2002 (in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa).

2. Japan's Basic Stance

1. Japan intends to continue to do its best to achieve a final agreement by COP7, with a view to the entry into force of the Protocol by 2002.
2. Then, it is important that all countries act under one set of rules. In order to achieve an agreement inclusive of the United States, Japan would like to continue its utmost efforts, while calling on the United States to take a constructive approach.
3. Japan will make utmost endeavors to tackle the question of our domestic system to meet the target in the Protocol.

3. Main Points for Discussion Concerning the Detailed Rules on the Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol

1. Compliance
   Issues of how to decide non-compliance with obligations in the Protocol, and the details of consequences of non-compliance and their legal character. Japan thinks that rather than a system of penalization, Parties to the Kyoto Protocol should be encouraged to fulfill their obligations through a system of promoting their compliance.
2. Sinks
   The issue of how to treat "sinks" resulting from land use, land use change and forestry activities in using them to meet the reduction target for greenhouse gases. The difficult part of this issue is already resolved in the Bonn Agreements, but the Russian Federation has insisted to greatly increase its upper limit of the amount it can obtain from these activities.
3. Kyoto Mechanisms
   The Kyoto Mechanisms enable each Party to acquire credits resulting from reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (emissions trading, clean development mechanism and joint implementation). Japan is aiming to establish rules that make adequate use of the Kyoto Mechanisms in order to enable the promotion of cost-effective and sustainable measures to address global warming.