Monitoring and Reporting

Parties to the Convention and signatories of the Protocol have assumed a responsibility to monitor and report their emissions and to make that information public. There are some similarities between the reporting requirements of the Protocol and Convention: for instance, in both cases countries have to prepare inventories of their emissions. Overall the Kyoto Protocol requirements are much more stringent for Annex I countries who have assumed the obligation to limit their emissions to certain levels. Other differences include regularity of reports and their content and scope.

Reporting requirements differ under the Convention and the Protocol. Under the Convention, Parties submit national communications. National communications include elements such as GHG inventories, a description of policies and measures implemented to combat climate change, and any other information relevant to achieving the objectives of the Climate Convention.

The major reporting requirement of the Protocol is the submission of annual GHG inventories to track emissions from sources and sequestration from sinks. In addition, Article 7 of the Protocol further increases the need for reporting by providing that Annex I Parties shall supply "the necessary supplementary information for the purposes of ensuring compliance." Although it currently lacks substance, this standard set by Article 7 basically amounts to whatever additional data the COP requires to demonstrate compliance with the Kyoto commitments.

If countries decide to engage in flexibility mechanisms, they will also have to set up tracking systems to account for assigned amounts.