Kyoto protocol pdf

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty adopted in 1997 that aimed to reduce the emission of gases that contribute to global warming. The protocol called for reducing the emissions of six greenhouse gases in 41 countries plus the European Union to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels. It was widely hailed as the most significant environmental treaty ever negotiated. The Kyoto Protocol was signed in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto Protocol, in full Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, international Background and provisions The 2), 4), 2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6), affect the energy balance of the global see also The protocol provided several means for countries to reach their targets. One approach was to make use of natural processes, called “sinks,” that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The planting of trees, which take up carbon dioxide from the air, would be an example. Another approach was the international program called the Challenges Although the Kyoto Protocol represented a landmark diplomatic accomplishment, its success was far from assured. Indeed, reports issued in the first two years after the treaty took effect indicated that most participants would fail to meet their emission targets. Even if the targets were met, however, the ultimate benefit to the Treaty extension and replacement At the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18), held in

The Kyoto Protocol sets greenhouse gas emissions limits for 2008-2012 for 38 developed coun-tries. Developing countries have no emissions limits. The Protocol also creates three “mechanisms” that enable countries to reduce the cost of meeting their emissions limits. The nations of the world are now negotiating the detailed rules for implementing the Protocol, including the three Kyoto Mechanisms. A number of countries have made specific proposals to restrict the use of the Mechanisms to achieve environmental or equity objectives. Other countries are arguing for an unrestrictive approach to improve economic efficiency. In addition, the lack of integration among the three Mechanisms may inadvertently restrict or bias their use. Finally, the extent to which countries may avail themselves of the Mechanisms depends both on the rules for the Mechanisms and on the domestic policies adopted by the developed countries to meet their commitments. This report evaluates proposed rules for implementing the Kyoto Mechanisms in terms of their implications for equity, environmental integrity, and economic efficiency, and discusses coordination of domestic policies with the Kyoto Mechanisms. The authors conclude that: The Kyoto Mechanisms have the potential to dramatically reduce the costs of meeting the Kyoto commitments. The Kyoto Protocol allows nations to fulfill part of their emissions reduction obligations by purchasing emissions reductions from other nations. Because greenhouse gases...

Click here to view the full text as an Adobe PDF. The 1998 Kyoto protocol signaled a new earnestness of international intent toward addressing the perceived risk of climate change. Kyoto demands that developed nations turn their economies so as to hit differentiated, sub-1990 level carbon emission targets within the next decade or so. Meanwhile, developing nations sit on the sideline committed, serious in their refusal to stifle economic growth by controlling their swelling carbon emissions. The protocol asks for immediate action to address an uncertain, long-term, global threat in which the nations soon to be the world’s largest emitters may never participate. Many experts then and now view the Kyoto accord as the best direction for climate protection, and few see the most recent rounds of negotiations as the direction that will change their opinion. The protocol’s short-term comeback to a long-term question of climate change has left most experts demanding either deeper emission reductions or broader emission coverage or an entirely new process. This talk considers the driving elements behind the benefits and costs of climate protection via Kyoto or similar international agreements that follow. Jason Shogren is the Stroock Distinguished Professor of Natural Resource Conservation and Management and a professor of economics at the University of Wyoming.