At the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, many countries wished to have legally binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions to be included in the summit, but the United States of America refused to agree because it claimed that there were still scientific uncertainties regarding the need to take action in limiting gas emission. Besides, since limiting gas emissions will cutting energy consumption, it will give unacceptable economic impacts. Since the United States is one of the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, so it was very important that the United States signed the convention, where to ensure that the United States get on the board, the more progressive countries were forced to compromise their positions. So, as a result, the final treaty, known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), only included the ambiguous and legally weak ‘aim’ that requiring the industrialized countries (listed in Annex I of the Convention) to cut down their greenhouse gas …show more content…
emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. (guide to protocol) Based on the 1995 Berlin Mandate, there will be no any new commitments of developing countries that will be introduced because since developed countries have the largest share in historical and current global emissions, they are the ones who will take the responsibility. In contrast, developing countries still need to develop their economy and their emissions per person are still relatively low, which until the industrialized countries have done their responsibility, developing countries are not being expected to limiting their emission growth. (guide to protocol) It can be said that the 1997 Kyoto Protocol is the most significant agreement because it is the first legally binding commitments for greenhouse gas emission by the developed countries, which includes most of the developed countries listed in Annex I of the UNFCCC.
According to the protocol, overall global reduction must be at least five per cent in 1990 levels of greenhouse gases by 2008-2012. However, the Kyoto Protocol is not a simple document because both of the commitments and the mechanisms on how the developed country Parties can achieve the target are extremely complex. Although all countries recognized the need to cut global emissions of greenhouse gases, but since many developed countries are depend on the fossil fuel industry for their economy, they refused to agree with the limitation of their domestic greenhouse gas emission. This resulting the failure of the Protocol in protecting the earth from climate change, which is supposed to be the reason of its
existence. The refusal of the developed countries in agreeing to the commitments in the Kyoto Protocol shows the dominance of realism attitude among the countries that prefer their own national interest over the international agreement, which causes the ineffectiveness of the current international framework to address the environmental issues. In this case, the United States and Australia, the major greenhouse gases emitters, exhibited the realist traits of government that give priority to their nation’s economic security over a transnational cooperation when both countries refused to ratify the Protocol. For the United States, it wanted developing countries to also commit in the Protocol in reducing greenhouse emission because of two reasons; to achieve the protocol’s goals and for the treaty to be approved by the U.S. Senate. According to the requirement articulated in S. Res. 98, passed in mid-1997, until the developing countries are subject to binding emissions targets, the United States should not become a party to the Kyoto. Even though the United States also argued that the commitment from developing countries are needed in order to deal with the climate change issues, the developing countries continued to oppose the limitation commitment of emission by non-Annex I countries as well as they argued that the 1995 Berlin Mandate had clearly excluded the developing countries from having commitments in the Protocol.
Trade is the most common form of transferring ownership of a product. The concepts are very simple, I give you something (a good or service) and you give me something (a good or service) in return, everyone is happy. However, trade is not limited to two individuals. There are trades that happen outside national borders and we refer to that as international trading. Before a country does international trading, they do research to understand the opportunity costs and marginal costs of their production versus another countries production. Doing this we can increase profit, decrease costs and improve overall trade efficiency. Currently, there are negotiations going on between 11 countries about making a trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific
The Kyoto Protocol was created to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are affecting Earth. The project is extremely expensive and lacks effectiveness. The protocol may benefit the world in the far future, but it is not worth a country going poor. Also, if tackling the issue involves the cooperation of our entire earth, developing countries should not be excluded. The Kyoto Protocol raises many concerns, and if something is going to impact our economy so greatly, it should not raise any concerns and should be foolproof. In order to demonstrate the lack of effectiveness, the economic consequences must first be discussed.
Climate change is no doubt one of the greatest threats to this planet today. Coastal cities flooding due to melting ice caps and rising water levels, cities experiencing extreme weather, and ocean life dying because of warmer water temperatures, it is not wonder why so many scientist and country leaders are worried about the safety and future of their country. The U.S. is just one of these countries where climate change endangers 333 million people. That is why the U.S. must take action to assure the future of their residents and safety of their numerous coastal cities. Due to the rising coastal water levels, previous legislative mistakes, and the risk of further climate change consequences, President Trump should acknowledge the need for the
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. " On a recent afternoon, Scott McKenzie watched torrential rains and a murky tide swallow the street outside his dog-grooming salon. Within minutes, much of this stretch of chic South Beach was flooded ankle-deep in a fetid mix of rain and sea."
It was in this setting that the Nations of the world gathered to discuss the issue of global warming in late November of 1997 (Christianson 254). From the beginning, the United States was viewed as the villain. Undersecretary of State, Stuart Eizenstat, and head of the U.S. delegation, let it be known that no amount of pressure could force the administration to flinch. “We want an agreement, but we are not going to Kyoto at any cost” (qtd. in Christianson 255). Vice President Al Gore added: “We are perfectly prepared to walk away from an agreement that we don’t think will work”.
The Kyoto Protocol set by the United Nations allocates countries to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by growing what they lost, that is reforestation, and/or establishing a forest in a barren land, that is afforestation. Each country is allowed a certain quota that limits their greenhouse emissions. For companies that uses deforestation for commercial purposes must reforest the land they cut off to compensate for the loss. More often than not the land is left alo...
The Kyoto Protocol was developed in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 and came into full force on the 16th of February 2005 in an effort to compact climate change (“Kyoto Protocol Reference Manual,” 2008). By targeting green house gas emissions, the Kyoto Protocol created an effort to “promote sustainable development (“Kyoto Protocol To The United Nations,” 1998).” The protocol’s goal was to reduce green house gas emissions from 1990 by 4.2% by 2008-2012, which 37 developed countries signed and pledged to (Schiermeier, 2012). With such a specific target, the goal was clear and quantifiable, making it easy to measure, when the time came, whether or not the Kyoto Protocol’s goal had been reached. Also, the involvement of these 37 countries was crucial in obtaining the goal. Without international cooperation the goal of reducing carbon emissions would never be effective as green house gasses effect the entire globe’s atmosphere not one local
The Kyoto Protocol was an international agreement on climate change. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on December 11,1997. Kyoto Protocol is designed to help countries adapting to the harmful effects of climate change. Under the Protocol, countries must be monitored on their emission use. Germany keeps an international transaction log to make sure that transaction are logical with the rules of the Protocol. The decision was to save the government an estimated $14 billion in penalties. Environment minister Peter Kent argued that the Kyoto Protocol does not cover the world’s largest two emitters, the United States and China and that is why the Kyoto Protocol would not work. Withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol and joining the UNFCCC was a big move by Canada. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the key international forum for global efforts to address the challenges posed by climate change. Canada Joined the UNFCCC in 1992 along with other nations. The agreement came into force in 1994 and now has near universal membership with 194 other countries.
Climate change is a change in global temperature and regional climate patterns. At the turn of the 20th century, there has been rising issues about climate change, arguing that global warming and climate change is an issue worsened by the human race. Change in climate is a natural process in which changes from season to season and even fluxuates over thousands of years. Over the time frame of the last 650,000 years there has been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat (Global Climate Change). It could be argued that climate change is a natural process and the Earth is suppose to change its temperature from hot to cold. Yes, that is true. However, the rate in which the temperature is changing is something this Earth has never endured. In
The dictionary defines climate change as a change in global or local climate patterns such as heat and precipitation. The trees that provide oxygen, the water that keeps us hydrated and the animals along with plants that gives us food grant Earth with features that make it adequate to live in. Global warming, as stated in the name, occurs when Earth 's atmosphere starts getting warmer. Global Warming has become a problem throughout the world that will need to be addressed over the coming years because it affects animals, sea level and landscapes around the world.
Potential impacts of technology on a global scale are relatively long-term, the NCCTI is guided over this by the climate change goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992 (Kyoto Protocol), ratified by the United States and more than 170 other countries (5) (3). The UNFCCC calls for the "... stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth's atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."(5) In order to achieve this long-term goal, net emissions of greenhouse gases on a global scale must ultimately approach levels that are lower than they are today. (1)
Nearly 200 countries have signed the Kyoto Protocol and they must reduce four greenhouse gases, in order to struggle with global warming. There are several perspectives on the effects of global warming on the environment. In this essay, we will consider the impacts and consequences of global warming. In the process, it will be clarified that there are positive and negative impacts of global warming. Ecosystem
To sum up, the EU drawn attention on climate changes and has essential goals to help other regions and countries to change the world. According to the Kyoto Protocol, the EU and other countries have big dreams about changing climate in positive way. That how the EU manages to accomplish the defined aims on the Kyoto Protocol depends on the EU leaders and Europeans also on the major emitting countries and other powerful world’s countries which have essential impact on climate changes.
Nowadays, we can see a lot of campaigns to reduce this humans’ contribution of greenhouse gases to atmosphere. These campaign’s missions are usually about reducing the energy that we use, convincing us to use recyclable energy, stopping the deforestation... These missions are all about mitigating to climate change. Climate change mitigation is the actions to limit the significant rate of long term climate change. In other words, climate change mitigation is all of the actions about lowering the humans’ greenhouse gas contribution to atmosphere. It is now too late for humans’ to prevent the effects of climate change, but these effects can be reduced in the future with mitigation. The most popular treaty, disenchant of humanity, is Kyoto Protocol. The main goal of Kyoto Protocol is reducing the human emitted greenhouse gases, in other word, mitigation. Also in ways that underlying national differences in GHG emissions, wealth, and capacity to make th...
"China Plans to Regulate Some of Its Carbon Emissions for the First Time Ever." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.