Recommendations of the Environment World Congress in view of the Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the Russian federation
RATIFICATION OF THE KYOTO PROTOCOL
TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
RECALLING the decision of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
CONCERNED that climate change is already having a serious impact on the world’s biodiversity and human society, as well as the need to find new ways to achieve sustainable development,
EMPHASIZING the significance of environmental aspects in international policy and the increased attention of the world community to these issues,
STRESSING the critical importance of the Kyoto Protocol, the only international agreement aimed at slowing global warming, in the implementation of the UNFCCC decisions and in the development of economic, social and environmental instruments for conservation and sustainable use of nature and natural resources,
EMPHASIZING the crucial role of the civil society structures and, in particular, national and international social forums in ratification and further implementation of the Kyoto Protocol,
ACKNOWLEDGING the particular role of forest and wetland ecosystems in keeping the natural balance over the planet and mitigating global climate change,
CONSIDERING that the Kyoto Protocol stipulates that it must be ratified by industrialized countries whose combined 1990 emissions exceed 55 % of that group’s total, with Russia accounting 17,4 % emission, it is one of the only countries which could push the agreement over that threshold and bring it into force,
RECOGNISING the potential and important role of IUCN in further development and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol,
The World Conservation Congress at its 3rd Session in Bangkok, Thailand, 17-25 November 2004:
CONGRATULATES the Russian Federation on its ratification of the Kyoto Protocol (November 5, 2004),
NOTES that the decision of the Russian Federation provides for the Kyoto Protocol to come into force in accordance with the formal procedure on 16th of February 2005,
APPEALS to States to develop national action plans on implementation of the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol taking fully into account the conservation of biodiversity in the action plans,
CALLS upon States that have not yet ratified the Kyoto Protocol to do so as soon as possible.
Sponsors:
Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation
Ministry of the Environment, Norway
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
Ministry of the Environment, Sweden
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Germany
Center for Russian Environmental Policy (CREP), Russian Federation
Environmental Education Centre “Zapovedniks”, Russian Federation
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, United Kingdom