The Kyoto ProtocolEssay Preview: The Kyoto ProtocolReport this essayThe Kyoto protocol is one of the most important treaties signed in contemporary days. It has great limitations and is yet to evolve to another level, but it addresses an issue that affects not one, two or ten countries — it affects the entire world. That is why countries have to work and cooperate to create a binding legal document that sets specific standards to greenhouse gas emissions.
In recent decades we have witnessed a gradual change in our environment. Our planet is heating up very quickly which leads to the so called global warming. Humanity has come to understand that its actions are the cause of this warming. The industries of our industrialized countries emit an enormous amount of green-house gases such as carbon dioxide which heats up the lower atmosphere and thus gradually contributing to global warming (Climate change facts, no date). The effects of global warming can be seen all over the world — draughts, floods, tsunamis, melting ice caps, snowfall in places such as Israel, spreading diseases (which were unable to survive in the once-cold climate) etc. Besides the environmental degradation, world leaders have to bear in mind the economical implications of this effect — the melting ice caps will open new trade routes which may pose a threat to some countries (such as Russia), the ever-increasing population of the Earth will soon be starving due to the disappearance of certain crops and species, shifting fishing grounds that may cause disputes over fishing rights between countries, etc.
All of these reasons and effects have made people and most importantly world leaders, realize that there is a need for change in our life so we can secure a normal future for the next generations. There are many things everyone can do to contribute to a cleaner environment — recycle, use cars less often, use nature friendly products, etc. However, these everyday changes are insignificant when compared to the enormous pollution caused by production facilities of all sorts. This is why the leaders of the most advanced countries have realized that something must be done on a larger scale.
Their answer to the issue is the Kyoto Protocol. This protocol is a part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It has been open for signing since December 1997 and is operational since 2005 and currently more than 160 countries have ratified it. It incorporates a number of legally binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Countries that have signed the protocol agree to cut their emissions to a level slightly bellow the level in 1990 (there are variations in percentage and base year). The idea is to make a distinction between two levels of countries — Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 countries. Annex 1 countries are considered to be more dangerous to the environment so they have to make specified cuts in their emissions or suffer a penalty. Non-Annex 1 countries are generally developing nations are presuming their economic level is not that high — they are not required to cut emissions, rather to monitor the process and prepare for action.
The Kyoto Protocol is only the first step in this direction. What is astonishing is that this is one of the few treaties that has an almost universal participation around the world. Country leaders have recognized the need for a decisive move in an environmental friendly direction and have enacted the treaty to tackle this world-wide issue. By committing to reduce their emissions or be sanctioned, countries give up a little sovereignty for the greater good of humanity. It is important that country leaders have realized that this is a necessary step however hard it may be to give up sovereignty. Another plus of the protocol is that there is a trading emissions clause incorporated in it. If a country can not meet its obligations it can purchase credits from other countries that have an excess. These credits are more often purchased by companies to cover their emissions
The Kyoto Protocol is being implemented by other international organizations, from the United States to the European Union, where the agreement’s implementation coincides with the Paris Agreement. While the Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed to early this year and has been adopted repeatedly in other countries, has not been unanimously accepted by the various organizations including a UN Commission for Climate Action and the International Business Climate Conference. As such, countries are required by the Kyoto Protocol to have their own emissions reduction and international cooperation framework.
The United Nations Framework Convention to Combat Oxidative Stress, known as FICPD, which has been in effect since 1949, is the main way that countries on the ground in the world are developing an effective global response. It means that, while on the ground, countries do not have any specific responsibility to change their behavior, they can be required to help other countries improve or reduce their emissions. In other words, the United Nations will help more developing countries on the ground.
This is not to say that nations like China and South Korea that have no other sources of non-renewable energy sources such as coal, nuclear power, wind or solar energy will not be forced to invest their money in clean energy, but they do need other sources. As the World Bank summarizes,
We cannot ignore China’s growing dependence on coal and nuclear power. However, even so, we can address the rising problem that the environment presents by making it easier for us to extract natural resources from people’s homes, factories, and factories, or from their businesses and lifestyles. That is why we want to ensure that China invests as much as possible in renewable power, wind, and solar energy.
The United States and other developing countries are not the only ones who need to change their climate. Even the European Union and the United States Energy Security Council are using the Kyoto Protocol to further the international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the United Nations General Assembly in April called on all countries to stop their activities because the treaties do not provide their citizens with an effective response to rising global temperatures and that the consequences of inaction are greater than would be caused by continuing their operations. In fact, the United Nations Secretary-General has declared that the entire world’s people need urgent action to improve climate change, to keep the lights on and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and thus we should not allow the United States to ignore them.
In addition to meeting their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, China is also using the Kyoto Protocol as a tool for reducing their emissions of natural fuels resulting from coal. While the Kyoto Protocol is clearly an important step in meeting their emissions reduction obligations, the implementation of the protocol is the most important factor and must be implemented.
The World Bank, a non-governmental organization that publishes many papers called the World Energy Outlook, says:
We are convinced that there is a growing problem of pollution. We have developed a comprehensive plan to reduce harmful climate change in several developed world countries. However, more action is needed and this will depend on action in developing countries, where new approaches to manage or eliminate harmful emissions are possible and will help to overcome some of the most serious security risks associated with carbon emissions and to reduce climate chaos and conflict in the future. The Kyoto Protocol is a comprehensive plan for the regulation of global emissions by the United Nations Economic Commission on Climate Change in October 2014.
In fact, as Naomi Oreskes points out, the United States, a country that currently has a lower emissions standard than other developed nations, is in a world where