The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty on climate change, expired in which of the following years?

Introduction / Context:
The Kyoto Protocol is a landmark international treaty under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that committed industrialised countries to specific greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. For many exams that include environment, climate change, or international organisations, questions are asked about the key dates and features of the Kyoto Protocol. One such important fact is the year in which its first commitment period came to an end. Understanding this date helps you place environmental agreements in a historical timeline alongside later frameworks such as the Paris Agreement.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question refers to the expiry of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
• It gives four possible years: 2008, 2012, 2010, and 2009.
• No mention is made of the second commitment period or the Doha Amendment, so we focus only on the first phase.
• We assume the exam standard understanding that the first period ran from 2008 to 2012.

Concept / Approach:
The core concept is chronological knowledge of major climate agreements. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997, entered into force in 2005, and its first commitment period for emission targets covered the years 2008 to 2012. Therefore, the expiry year of this commitment period is the year 2012. The approach is to recall that the phrase first commitment period is usually written as 2008 to 2012 in exam notes. From that interval, the last year of the period is the answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Remember that the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol started in 2008.Step 2: Recall from standard environment notes that this period lasted until the end of 2012.Step 3: Identify 2012 as the closing year of this first commitment period.Step 4: Compare this remembered year with the options: 2008, 2012, 2010, and 2009.Step 5: Select 2012 as it matches the known end year of the first commitment period.

Verification / Alternative check:
An easy way to verify is to recall that negotiations in Doha in late 2012 were held to agree on a second commitment period precisely because the first one was ending that year. You might also remember that many environment textbooks explicitly mention that the first-round targets were set up to be evaluated by 2012. Thinking of the commitment block as 2008 to 2012, a five year span, confirms that 2012 is the accurate answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
2008 is the starting year of the first commitment period, not the year it expired, so it is not correct. The years 2010 and 2009 fall within the middle of the commitment period but do not represent the completion of the cycle. Choosing any of these indicates confusion between the starting year, intermediate years, and the final year. Therefore only 2012 correctly denotes the expiry of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes mix up the date when the Kyoto Protocol was adopted (1997), the date it came into force (2005), the start of the first commitment period (2008), and the expiry year (2012). Another pitfall is confusion between the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement timelines. To avoid mistakes, keep a simple chronological list: adopted 1997, in force 2005, first commitment period 2008 to 2012, and then Doha Amendment for the second period. This structured memory prevents you from picking an incorrect year from the middle of the period.

Final Answer:
The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expired in the year 2012.