Flexible mechanisms

Generic term referring to the three Kyoto procedures established to reduce GHG emissions with more flexibility and lower costs:

Annex I countries, parties to the Kyoto Protocol, may exceed their emission target (see Annex B) and offset the emissions in excess by purchasing emission credits/rights from these flexible mechanisms by means of transactions between national GHG emission registers.

Resorting to flexible mechanisms is however limited by the "supplementarity principle" : flexible mechanisms may only be used to supplement emission reductions obtained on the national territory through internal measures.

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