Definitions and abbreviations This page gives information on abbreviations and terms relevant to the Climate convention and Kyoto protocol. Many terms and descriptions have been described (with gratitude) as on the UNFCCC website. A more detailed glossary can be found on that website. Activities implemented jointly (AIJ) - Under a pilot phase that ends by 2000, AIJ activities can be carried out through partnerships between an investor from a developed country and a counterpart in a host country. The purpose is to involve private-sector money in the transfer of technology and know-how. See also Joint Implementation. CBS - The Netherlands Central Bureau for Statistics. CCDM – The Netherlands Co-ordinating Committee for Monitoring of Emissions of relevant target groups in society. Clean development mechanism (CDM) - The Kyoto Protocol establishes the CDM to enable industrialized countries to finance emissions-avoiding projects in developing countries and receive credit for doing so. COP sessions - The first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-1) was held in Berlin from 28 March to 7 April 1995, the second (COP-2) in Geneva from 8 - 19 July 1996, the third (COP-3) in Kyoto from 1 -11 December 1997, and the fourth (COP-4) is being held in Buenos Aires from 2 - 13 November 1998. CRF - Common Reporting Format. Emissions trading - The Kyoto Protocol establishes a mechanism whereby Parties with emissions commitments may trade their emission allowances with other Parties. The aim is to improve the overall flexibility and economic efficiency of making emissions cuts. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) - The major GHGs responsible for causing climate change are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N20). The Kyoto Protocol also addresses hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). In-depth review (IDR) - The first submissions of national communications by developed countries were subjected to a series of in-depth reviews generally involving country visits by international teams of experts. IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environment Programme. It conducts rigorous surveys of the world-wide technical and scientific literature and publishes assessment reports that are widely recognized as the most credible existing sources of information on climate change. The IPCC also works on methodologies and responds to specific requests from the Convention's subsidiary bodies. Joint implementation (JI) - The Kyoto Protocol establishes a mechanism whereby a developed country can receive "emissions reduction units" when it helps to finance projects that reduce net emissions in another developed country (including countries with economies in transition). Some aspects of this approach are being tested as Activities Implemented Jointly (see AIJ). Mechanisms - The Kyoto Protocol establishes three mechanisms to increase the flexibility and reduce the costs of making emissions cuts; these are the Clean Development Mechanism, emissions trading, and joint implementation. MNP - Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (associated with RIVM) National communications - A central requirement of the Convention (and the Protocol) is that each Party must inform the others about its national climate change activities. Many developed countries have submitted their second reports and developing countries have started to submit their first. NIR - National Inventory Report. Policies and measures - Countries must decide what policies and measures to adopt in order to achieve their emissions targets. Some possible policies and measures which Parties could implement are listed in the Kyoto Protocol and could offer opportunities for intergovernmental cooperation. Quantified Emissions Limitation and Reduction Commitments - Legally-binding targets and timetables under the Kyoto Protocol for the limitation or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for developed countries. RIVM - The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, a government agency among others responsible for preparing the yearly environmental balance in the Netherlands. Secretariat of UNFCCC - Staffed by international civil servants and responsible for servicing the COP and ensuring its smooth operation, the secretariat makes arrangements for meetings, compiles and prepares reports, and coordinates with other relevant international bodies. The Climate Change secretariat is institutionally linked to the United Nations. SenterNovem - a government agency carrying out programmes for various Ministries in the Netherlands a.o. in the field of energy and environment. Sinks - Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries can include changes in net emissions (calculated as emissions minus removals of CO2) from certain activities in the land-use change and forestry sector. Calculating the effects of sinks (growing vegetation tends to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) is methodologically complex and still needs to be clarified. Subsidiary body - A committee that assists the Conference of the Parties. Two permanent ones are defined by the Convention: the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice. COP-1 also established two other temporary bodies: the Ad hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate, which concluded its work on 30 November 1997, and the Ad hoc Group on Article 13. Additional subsidiary bodies may be established as needed. Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) - Makes recommendations on policy and implementation issues to the COP and, if requested, other bodies. Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) - Serves as the link between the information and assessments provided by expert sources (such as the IPCC) on the one hand, and the policy-oriented needs of the COP on the other. TNO - Institute for Applied Research in the Netherlands. UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. VROM - The Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment.