The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2012, with legally binding commitments to reduce emissions. The agreement encourages green development and emissions trading. However, it has faced opposition from some nations, including the US, due to concerns over economic development and allowable emissions levels for developing nations.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that aims to reduce the industrialized world’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2012. Ideally, the end result of the Kyoto Protocol should be a reduction of these emissions below 1990 levels. The agreement also addresses the developing world, which is rapidly industrializing and therefore producing a large volume of greenhouse gases.
The roots of the Kyoto Protocol can be found in the first World Climate Conference, held in 1979. The conference was held to address the issue of human impact on climate change, and the outcome of the conference was a commitment to further study and the developing a definitive plan to address the problem. The next step was the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty adopted in 1992. The UNFCCC was a response to more than 10 years of discussions and research on climate change.
Under the terms of the UNFCCC, participating nations have agreed to collect and share information on greenhouse gas emissions. These nations were also expected to reduce their emissions by the year 2000 and participate in a global action plan to prevent the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement was not legally binding, but many nations saw that it was a necessary step and pledged to act. Concerns had arisen in 1995 that the plan was not working, so a conference was held in 1997 to discuss the matter in Kyoto, Japan.
The result of this conference was the Kyoto Protocol, which amended the UNFCCC with legally binding commitments to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorinated compounds (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) . Under the terms of the agreement, participating nations were required to reduce their emissions between 2008 and 2012 through a variety of means. The Kyoto Protocol encourages green development and emissions trading by allowing nations that meet their quotas to sell credits to struggling nations.
While most people would agree that climate change is a serious problem, the Kyoto Protocol has met with serious opposition from a number of nations, including the United States. As of 2007, the US Senate had refused to ratify the protocol, mainly in a dispute over allowable emissions levels for developing nations like China. Opponents of the Kyoto Protocol dispute some terms of the agreement, arguing that it limits economic development and may be too harsh. Proponents believe the global warming issue is so important that the draconian measures will be worth it in the long run.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
