Fifteen years ago, the first international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was adopted. The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change recognized the threat elevated greenhouse gases posed. And it presented a framework for stabilizing emissions.
Under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” developed nations were asked to shoulder most of the reduction burden. The rationale: they were largely responsible for today’s elevated greenhouse gas levels, having enjoyed some 150 years of industrial activity.
Signatories were committed to reigning in their greenhouse gas contributions through national measures and market-based mechanisms, such as emissions trading.
Since its inception, the Kyoto Protocol has been rife with political debate. The United States—at the time the world’s biggest emitter—never ratified it due to opposition in the House and Senate. Russia signed on but did not ratify for seven years. And last year, Canada dropped out entirely.
The first phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends this month. Many deem it a failure. But it did put international discussions about climate change on the map.
The second phase of the Kyoto Protocol has seen fewer developed countries commit to reductions. And India and China remain free from binding targets due to developing nation status—despite the fact that China is now the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter and its second largest economy.
Together, the participants signing on to the second phase represent some 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. Aside from keeping the diplomatic process alive, in its current form, the Kyoto Protocol is too weak to turn the tide on climate change.
Web Links
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-not-dead
United Nations
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
Scientific American
Photo, taken on June 2, 2012, courtesy of Kevin M. Gill via Flickr.