The Kyoto Protocol from the Perspective of the OPEC Countries

Currently, the use of fossil fuels and their products are inevitable in today’s industrial world. Here, oil is the most important fossil fuel and is considered strategic goods of modern era, as the economy of many countries, especially OPEC countries, revolves around it. On the other hand, the use of this vital matter and its related products has contaminated the environment due to excessively increasing greenhouse gases emissions. Since the third generation of human rights directly highlights the need of human being to a healthy environment, various mechanisms have been provided including conventions and international treaties on the environment. An example of this is the UN Convention on Climate changes and the protocols annexed to it, Kyoto. Implementation of the Convention and Protocol has some effects on oil-dependent economies, especially OPEC countries. Since in the first commitment period (2008-2012), the commitment of developing countries, especially OPEC countries, has not been specified, these countries are only required to observe the general framework protocol. On the one hand, using mechanisms envisaged in the Kyoto Protocol, including emissions trading mechanism, thesecountries will be able to minimize the adverse effects of response measures to climate changes

Keywords:

OPEC Countries , UNFCCC , Kyoto Protocol , Greenhouse Gas Emissions , Fossil Fuels