The Kyoto Protocol And Global Warming

The Kyoto Protocol was set up in a session of the United Nations in Japan in the year 1997. This initiative was set forth to reduce harmful emissions and to lessen global warming. It was adopted and contains goals for emissions that are legally binding for the countries involved.

The aim of the Kyoto Protocol is to prevent countries from causing global warming through human activity. There are some natural forces that contribute to global warming. However, it is the disruption of the climate by humans that is most damaging. This is what is addressed in the Kyoto Protocol.

The developed countries of the world have made commitments to reducing emissions in a timely manner. They have target dates and set levels they are supposed to reach by those times. There are six greenhouse gases that are meant to be reduced by 5% in the next few years. Three of these are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. If these countries are successful, it will reduce global warming.

It is interesting that, while many countries have agreed to reduce emissions, some countries will be allowed to raise emissions. These countries are Norway, Australia, and Iceland. These countries control global warming by keeping their increases to a certain level.

Other countries are asked to simply maintain the levels of emissions they already have. Countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and New Zealand do their part against global warming by maintaining the status quo.

The goals of the Kyoto Protocol to decrease global warming are supposed to be realized between the years 2008-2012. It seems that this will be a near impossibility at this point for many countries. The US especially is turning its back on the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. The initiative is given lip service by the powers that be, but real progress has been slow coming.

One way developed countries can receive credit under the Kyoto protocol is to help others. If developed countries sponsor emissions reducing programs in developing countries, they receive credit for this. It shows their commitment to the reduction of global warming.

Yet, not all developed countries have adopted the Kyoto Protocol. One glaring example is the US. As of December 2006, the US was one of the 169 governments that had signed the agreement to cut down on global warming. However, it did not ratify the agreement, so the treaty has no power in the US. Another hold-out was Australia.

There were two conditions that needed to be met to put this treaty into full legal force. One was that 55 countries needed to sign up. That condition was met in 2002. In 2005, the other condition was met when 55% of the developed countries had joined the effort to stop global warming.

The Kyoto Protocol was designed to hold developed countries up to a high standard. Developed countries are not only expected to create ways to reduce global warming. They are also rewarded if they help other countries to do the same. When every developed country joins in the struggle to reduce global warming, the earth will reap the benefits.

 

 
Translate Page Into German Translate Page Into French Translate Page Into Italian Translate Page Into Portuguese Translate Page Into Spanish Translate Page Into Japanese Translate Page Into Korean

More Articles

 

 

Search This Site

 

Related Products And FREE Videos





 

More Articles


Movies On Global Warming

... help people learn to live together as they never have before. Energy Crossroads: A burning need to change course, is a documentary movie about the energy crisis. It deals with the amount of oil that will be left in the future and the different ways to overcome that crisis. However, a good part of this ... 

Read Full Article  


Books That Support Or Deny The Concept Of Global Warming

... Reading a variety of books on global warming gives a balanced perspective. Probably the most well-known book on global warming is Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. Gore's book shows reasons why people wan to save he earth from ... 

Read Full Article  


How You Can Fight Global Warming At Home

... efficient products. Buying such products will help decrease global warming. Recycling is one of the easiest ways to help reduce global warming. Everyone can do it with little effort. You can also further the process by using products that are made from recycled materials. You can help reduce global warming ... 

Read Full Article  


The Effects Of Extreme Events Caused By Global Warming

... It will also limit the quantity and quality of the water supply. Finally, the hurricanes intensified by global warming will have a great impact on the earth. People will be injured or killed in the storms themselves and others will die as a result of infectious diseases that come as a result of the mess ... 

Read Full Article  


The History Of The Movement To Stop Global Warming

... Statistics did not follow the predicted course for the theory. However, the Kyoto Protocol, negotiated in Kyoto Japan, was aimed at preventing and correcting global warming. Global warming is still a term that is in use and making the news daily. Since Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth, people have ... 

Read Full Article