Kyoto Protocol: a Success or Failure
In the past decades, the global climate change has become a series challenge for all humankind. Nowadays, we all know that the factors which contribute most to climate change are Green House Gases (GHGs). Therefore, reducing GHGs emissions becomes the most concerned topic around the world. In 1992, the United Nations passed the United Nations Framework Convention on climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC said its goal is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” [1]. This treaty, however, did not set specific obligations for its signatories. Nor did it mention about how the treaty works to make sure …show more content…
The main course of climate change is the Greenhouse Effect. Due to this effect, by the end of the 21st century, the average temperature of the Earth will increase, which will eventually lead to the melt of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers, rising sea level and destroy the lands on which billions of people live. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that human is facing the unprecedented …show more content…
But to some extent, the goal also failed. Statistics plays an important role in evaluating the success of the percipients’ targets under the Kyoto protocol. On the one hand, for instance, during the first period of Kyoto protocol (2008-2012), the EU15 members (including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom) successfully achieved their GHGs emissions goal. Indeed, these countries even over-achieved their targets. Statistics shows that during the first period their average GHGs emission reduced 12.2% compared to the 1990 data, which is 4.2% more than their original goal: 8% reduction [5]. On the other hand, however, the Kyoto protocol met its waterloo in some countries. As a participant of the Kyoto protocol, the US signed this protocol. But the government refused to ratify it later. As the US with only 4% of global population emissions nearly 25% of the total GHGs in the atmosphere, it is concerned the largest GHGs emission country in the world [6]. Since the Kyoto protocol has nothing to do with the US, world’s largest source of GHGs, it is a failure. Moreover, the first period of Kyoto protocol has been extended from 2012 to 2015 due to many of its participants can’t achieve their goals. This can also be seen as a fail of the
In the past decades, the global climate change has become a series challenge for all humankind. Nowadays, we all know that the factors which contribute most to climate change are Green House Gases (GHGs). Therefore, reducing GHGs emissions becomes the most concerned topic around the world. In 1992, the United Nations passed the United Nations Framework Convention on climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC said its goal is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” [1]. This treaty, however, did not set specific obligations for its signatories. Nor did it mention about how the treaty works to make sure …show more content…
The main course of climate change is the Greenhouse Effect. Due to this effect, by the end of the 21st century, the average temperature of the Earth will increase, which will eventually lead to the melt of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers, rising sea level and destroy the lands on which billions of people live. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that human is facing the unprecedented …show more content…
But to some extent, the goal also failed. Statistics plays an important role in evaluating the success of the percipients’ targets under the Kyoto protocol. On the one hand, for instance, during the first period of Kyoto protocol (2008-2012), the EU15 members (including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom) successfully achieved their GHGs emissions goal. Indeed, these countries even over-achieved their targets. Statistics shows that during the first period their average GHGs emission reduced 12.2% compared to the 1990 data, which is 4.2% more than their original goal: 8% reduction [5]. On the other hand, however, the Kyoto protocol met its waterloo in some countries. As a participant of the Kyoto protocol, the US signed this protocol. But the government refused to ratify it later. As the US with only 4% of global population emissions nearly 25% of the total GHGs in the atmosphere, it is concerned the largest GHGs emission country in the world [6]. Since the Kyoto protocol has nothing to do with the US, world’s largest source of GHGs, it is a failure. Moreover, the first period of Kyoto protocol has been extended from 2012 to 2015 due to many of its participants can’t achieve their goals. This can also be seen as a fail of the