Distr.
LIMITED
FCCC/CP/1998/L.5
9 November 1998
Original: ENGLISH
CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES
Fourth session
Buenos Aires, 2-13 November 1998
Agenda item 5(a)(i)
At its ninth session, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice decided to recommend the following draft decision for adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its fourth session.
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decision 1/CP.3 on the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in particular its paragraph 5(a);
Noting the conclusions on land-use, land-use change and forestry adopted by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice at its eighth session;
Noting also with appreciation the decision of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change to prepare a special report on land-use, land-use change and forestry;
EZE.98-
Having considered the report(1)
prepared by the secretariat on a Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice workshop on data availability based on definitions used by Parties and international organizations in relation to Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol, which was held coincident with an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expert meeting from
24 to 25 September 1998, and the submissions by Parties on land-use, land-use change and forestry(2)
,
1. Decides to confirm the understanding expressed in the conclusions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice at its eighth session that the meaning of Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol is as follows: the adjustment to a Party's assigned amount shall be equal to verifiable changes in carbon stocks during the period 2008 to 2012 resulting from direct human-induced activities of afforestation, reforestation and deforestation since
1 January 1990. Where the result of this calculation is a net sink, this value shall be added to the Party's assigned amount. Where the result of this calculation is a net emission, this value shall be subtracted from the Party's assigned amount;
2. Decides to endorse the other relevant conclusions on land-use, land-use change and forestry made by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice at its eighth session;
3. Decides to recommend that the Conference of the Parties, at its first session following the completion of the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change and its consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, adopt a draft decision to be forwarded to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol at its first session on definitions related to activities under Article 3.3;
4. Decides to recommend that the Conference of the Parties, at its first session following the completion of the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change and its consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, adopt a draft decision to be forwarded to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol at its first session on modalities, rules and guidelines as to how, and which, additional human-induced activities related to changes in greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks in the agricultural soils and the land-use change and forestry categories might be included under Article 3.4;
5. Further decides to adopt, at the first session of the Conference of the Parties practicable following the completion of the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change and its consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, a draft decision to be forwarded to the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol at its first session on guidelines for necessary supplementary information with respect to annual greenhouse gas inventories under the provisions of Article 7.1 and 7.4 for reporting required in connection with Article 3.3 and 3.4;
6. Requests the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice to consider, at its tenth session, the requirements necessary to fulfil the provisions of the first sentence of Article 3.4, and invites Parties to provide submissions on such requirements to the secretariat by 1 March 1999;
7. Affirms the importance of broad participation by Parties, particularly developing country Parties, in the work of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on land-use, land-use change and forestry;
8. Requests the secretariat to compile, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice at its tenth session, a list of policy and procedural issues associated with Article 3.3 and 3.4, based on existing submissions by Parties and any further submissions by Parties, and invites Parties to provide submissions on these issues to the secretariat by 1 March 1999;
9. Also requests the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice at its tenth session to give further consideration to planning its work on land-use, land-use change and forestry;
10. Invites the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to continue to provide progress reports on its activities related to land-use, land-use change and forestry to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice.
2. FCCC/CP/1998/MISC.1 and Add.1-2, and FCCC/CP/1998/MISC.9 and Add.1-2.