France Develops ‘Domestic’ JI Projects

Following the announcement by the French government late last year that they had approved their first domestic Joint Implementation (JI) project, this note has been prepared to act as a guide to JI projects, explain how the French domestic project works and to discuss the significance of the project in the context of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

The Background

Following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol that came into force on 15 February 2005, developed countries (referred to as Annex 1 or Annex B countries) that have ratified the Protocol are required to limit their greenhouse gas emissions over the period 2008 to 2012 (the first commitment period) by an agreed amount relative to their emissions in 1990. In order to assist them in meeting their commitments, the Kyoto Protocol includes the project mechanisms of JI and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as well as the concept of International Emissions Trading (IET). JI