What is the Kyoto protocol?
It is a pact agreed on by governments at a United Nations conference in Kyoto, Japan 1997 to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by developed countries by 5.2 percent of 1990 levels during the five-year period 2008-2012. Eighty-four countries have signed the pact and 40 of have ratified it, according to U.N. data. Only one country which has an emissions target, Romania, has ratified to date. IS IT THE FIRST AGREEMENT OF ITS KIND? Governments originally agreed to tackle climate change at the “Earth Summit” in Rio in 1992. At that meeting, leaders created the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which set a non-binding goal of stabilising emissions at 1990 levels by 2000. Although the convention has more than 160 participants, it is widely considered to have failed to halt a global increase in emissions. The Kyoto Protocol is the follow-up to that and is the first legally binding global agreement to cut greenhouse gases. SO IT’S LEGALLY BINDING? It is binding on
The Kyoto Protocol was an agreement negotiated by many countries in December 1997 and came into force with Russia’s ratification on February 16, 2005. The reason for the lengthy timespan between the terms of agreement being settled upon and the protocol being engaged was due to terms of Kyoto requiring at least 55 parties to ratify the agreement and for the total of those parties emissions to be at least 55% of global production of greenhouse gases. The protocol was developed under the UNFCCC – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Participating countries that have ratified (which is an important term that I’ll clarify) the Kyoto Protocol have committed to cut emissions of not only carbon dioxide, but of also other greenhouse gases, being: Methane (CH4) Nitrous oxide (N2O) Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) If participant countries continue with emissions above the targets, then they are required to engage in emissions trad
The Kyoto Protocol is currently the only legally-binding international agreement that seeks to tackle the challenges of global warming. By setting individual greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets for 35 industrialized countries and members of the European Community (known as Annex I Parties), the Protocol aims to cut global emissions by 5% of 1990 levels by 2012. For most countries, this corresponds to emissions levels 15% below those anticipated under a “business as usual” scenario. This reduction is not sufficient to address all aspects of climate change or curb global warming. It is, however, a noteworthy accomplishment in light of the complexity surrounding international climate change negotiations. Signatories to the Kyoto Protocol: June 2005 Negotiating the Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty ratified by 189 countries. Although officially adopted in 1997, the Protocol wou
