Protocol: The Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol

Introduction

The Kyoto Protocol is one of the most ambitious international environmental agreements to date. Adopted on 11 December 1997 by negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the treaty’s aim was to commit countries to a 5% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their 1990 levels (Prins and Rayner, 2008). These commitments in GHG reduction, CO2 emissions in particular, were to begin in 2005 with goals expected to be reached by 2012. A total of 191 parties ratified the protocol, with 38 industrialized nations and the European Community with binding commitments to reducing their emissions, while developing countries, including India and China remained exempt. United States did not ratify the protocol, while Canada renounced its commitments in 2011. In order to monitor the CO2 flux of each country, actual emissions

The mission was to commit countries to reducing emissions by 5% of their 1990 levels between 2005 and 2012. The outcome of this agreement was a failure, as CO2 emissions have been steadily rising throughout this period. Unforeseen events such as the US excluding themselves from the agreement, along with Canada dropping its commitments helped pay its toll in the collapse. Loose binding terms resulted in many countries not reaching their committed targets, while the exclusion of large-emitter developing nations such as China and India made for an overall increase in emissions. Despite the outcome of the protocol, Kyoto helped to establish global recognition of climate change and outcomes our world will face if we do not do something to mitigate these effects. The Kyoto Protocol can be seen as the “first step” to reducing global emissions and an open door to future international