HC Deb 11 April 2002 vol 383 cc603-4W
Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the parties involved in the Kyoto agreement on climate change have ratified the protocol; and when the remaining parties will complete the ratification process. [47048]

Mr. Meacher

As at 19 March 2002, 50 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change had ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

The UK and other EU Member States intend to complete ratification of the Protocol by early June in time for entry into force by the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

It is not possible at this stage to say for certain which other Parties will ratify the Protocol and when they will complete the necessary procedures. However, for the Protocol to enter into force, 55 countries accounting for at least 55 per cent. of greenhouse gas emissions by industrialised countries in 1990, must ratify. To secure this, both Japan and Russia need to ratify as well as the EU.

Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will ratify the Kyoto protocol on climate change. [47046]

Mr. Meacher

The UK intends to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in time for it to enter into force by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September. A European Community decision to ratify Kyoto was adopted on 4 March. This paved the way for the UK and the other EU Member States to complete their own ratification procedures. On 7 March, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a statement to the House setting in motion the process of UK ratification. Once the Parliamentary process is complete, the Foreign Secretary will be in a position to sign the ratification instrument. For legal and presentational reasons, the European Community and each of its Member States have agreed to deposit their instruments of ratification with the UN Depository simultaneously. Since entry into force of the Protocol will occur only 90 days after the prescribed number of ratification instruments have been deposited, the aim is to do this by early June at the latest.