Annex I Countries Annex I countries are the 36 industrialised countries and Economies in Transition (EIT*) listed in Annex I of the UNFCCC. These countries have taken emission caps – regulatory devices that set a ceiling on emissions that can be released into the atmosphere from any one country within a designated timeframe.
In May 2005, the following countries were considered Annex I parties:
Countries that have signed the Kyoto Protocol have the right to participate in the Conference of Parties (COPs). Since the Kyoto Protocol came into force in February 2005, so-called COP MOPs (Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol) were introduced, which may only be attended by representatives of those countries that have also ratified the Protocol, i.e. not, for instance, by Australia or the United States.
Non-Annex I Countries All countries that are not listed as Annex I parties, labelled “Non-Annex I Countries”, do not have binding emission reduction targets for the first period (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, Non-Annex I countries are currently not allowed to participate in the international emission trading market, however, under Kyoto mechanisms they can benefit from the participation in CDM projects (either bilaterally, with a participating Annex I country, or unilaterally with participation of only Non-Annex I countries).
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