Why is a Kyoto successor needed?
The protocol was only ever envisaged as a first step towards bigger emission cuts. Its current targets expire in 2012, and without a successor there will be nothing committing any country to reduce emissions beyond that date. The protocol asked developed countries to cut carbon emissions by an average of about 5% from 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. For a variety of reasons, the actual cuts produced by 2012 will be much smaller. Many Kyoto countries are set to miss their targets by a long way. The latest scientific assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have added urgency to the quest for deeper cuts. Its scientists recommend that globally, emissions should peak and start to fall within 10-15 years, sooner if possible.
