Promoting Compliance in an Evolving Climate Regime: Experiences with Articles 5, 7, and 8 defining the monitoring, reporting and verification system under the Kyoto Protocol

Introduction Measurement reporting and verification (MRV) of the achievement of the objectives of commitments is the backbone of any compliance system in an environmental agreement. Under the Kyoto Protocol, a new MRV system was set up with the decisions related to Articles 5, 7, and 8 under the Kyoto Protocol that were taken at the first Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (CMP-1). This chapter explains the system for monitoring, reporting, and verifying emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol. It aims to highlight the significant improvements achieved to date in developed countries, but also to assess the effectiveness and the weaknesses of the existing system. It will also provide an overview of the changes to the MRV system agreed at the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-16) in Cancun in December 2010 and proposes improvements that would further increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the current system. The chapter is divided into three sections. Section 2 considers the monitoring and reporting of emission data and other information. Section 3 addresses the review and verification of the information provided. Each section includes a description of the current rules and procedures, an assessment of their effectiveness, and an outline of potential future developments.