1. Does the Kyoto Protocol allow for a suspension or termination of commitments on the grounds of force majeure, recognizing that withdrawal (no reason necessary) is always possible pursuant to Art. 27? 2. Have Arts. 61 (supervening impossibility of performance) or 62 (fundamental change of circumstances) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of treaties …

Are there any barriers in national or international law to the provisional application of amendments to a protocol?  National jurisdictions in which we are particularly interested are Australia, US, Canada, Japan, Russia, Norway, Switzerland and if possible Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Austria and other EU member states so far as possible.  Have these …

1. Under what circumstances might a unilateral statement by a State or State official be legally binding under international law, particularly when statements are made in the context of an international negotiation? What factors will affect that analysis?  2. Regarding the same questions, what effect, if any, might reliance by other States (e.g. Providing …

1.Is it possible for countries to ratify a COP decision? If so, which countries have?  2.Did the Congress of the USA pass a bill or another legal act when ratifying the UNFCCC which declares that the USA cannot enter into substantial obligations by way of COP decision unless the Congress expresses its consent? 3. If […]

In designing measures to address emissions from international shipping, does the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have the legal mandate to include exemptions – for the purposes of protecting Small Island Developing States – either on the basis of exempting specific countries, or alternatively by setting de minimis thresholds (such as tonnage …