What do you know about the Kyoto Protocol?

Question

tell me things like why the goverment should or should not ratify it, a summary of it, and the U.S.'s reason for rejecting it. some reasearch would help you win thanks.

Answer 1

The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases.

Objectives

Kyoto is intended to cut global emissions of greenhouse gases.The objective is the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" .

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted an average global rise in temperature of 1.4°C (2.5°F) to 5.8°C (10.4°F) between 1990 and 2100. Current estimates indicate that even if successfully and completely implemented, the Kyoto Protocol will reduce that increase by somewhere between 0.02°C and 0.28°C by the year 2050 (source: Nature, October 2003).

Proponents also note that Kyoto is a first step, as requirements to meet the UNFCCC will be modified until the objective is met, as required by UNFCCC Article 4.2(d).

The treaty was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997, opened for signature on March 16, 1998, and closed on March 15, 1999. The agreement came into force on February 16, 2005 following ratification by Russia on November 18, 2004. As of April 2006, a total of 163 countries have ratified the agreement (representing over 61.6% of emissions from Annex I countries) UNFCCC.int Duwe, Matthias. Notable exceptions include the United States and Australia. Other countries, like India and China, which have ratified the protocol, are not required to reduce carbon emissions under the present agreement.

According to terms of the protocol, it enters into force "on the ninetieth day after the date on which not less than 55 Parties to the Convention, incorporating Parties included in Annex I which accounted in total for at least 55 per cent of the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession." Of the two conditions, the "55 parties" clause was reached on May 23, 2002 when Iceland ratified. The ratification by Russia on 18 November 2004 satisfied the "55 percent" clause and brought the treaty into force, effective February 16, 2005.

Position of the United States
The United States of America (USA), although a signatory to the protocol, has neither ratified nor withdrawn from the protocol. The signature alone is mostly symbolic, as the protocol is non-binding over the United States unless ratified.

On July 25, 1997, before the Kyoto Protocol was to be negotiated, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed by a 95–0 vote the Byrd-Hagel Resolution (S. Res. 98)[2], which stated the sense of the Senate was that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States". On November 12, 1998, Vice President Al Gore symbolically signed the protocol. Both Gore and Senator Joseph Lieberman indicated that the protocol would not be acted upon in the Senate until there was participation by the developing nations CNN. The Clinton Administration never submitted the protocol to the Senate for ratification.

The Clinton Administration released an economic analysis in July 1998, prepared by the Council of Economic Advisors, which concluded that with emissions trading among the Annex B/Annex I countries, and participation of key developing countries in the "Clean Development Mechanism" — which grants the latter business-as-usual emissions rates through 2012 — the costs of implementing the Kyoto Protocol could be reduced as much as 60% from many estimates. Other economic analyses, however, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office and the Department of Energy Energy Information Administration (EIA), and others, demonstrated a potentially large decline in GDP from implementing the Protocol.

The current President, George W. Bush, has indicated that he does not intend to submit the treaty for ratification, not because he does not support the general idea, but because of the strain he believes the treaty would put on the economy; he emphasizes the uncertainties which he asserts are present in the climate change issue Corn, David (2001). Furthermore, he is not happy with the details of the treaty. For example, he does not support the split between Annex I countries and others. Bush said of the treaty:

This is a challenge that requires a 100 percent effort; ours, and the rest of the world's. The world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases is China. Yet, China was entirely exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. India and Germany are among the top emitters. Yet, India was also exempt from Kyoto. . . . America's unwillingness to embrace a flawed treaty should not be read by our friends and allies as any abdication of responsibility. To the contrary, my administration is committed to a leadership role on the issue of climate change. . . . . Our approach must be consistent with the long-term goal of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Whitehouse.gov President Bush Discusses Global Climate Change
According to the information from the U.S. EIA, in 2003 Chinese energy-related usage produced an estimated 3.541 billion metric tons of CO2, while the U.S. produced an estimated 5.802 billion metric tons. DOE China, DOE USA However, on a per capita basis the Chinese emit 1/10th the CO2 that Americans do and Americans emit more than twice the CO2 as their counterparts in similarly developed countries like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom that have ratified the treaty and agreed to further reduce emissions. UN Statistics Division

In June 2002, the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the "Climate Action Report 2002". Some observers have interpreted this report as being supportive of the protocol, although the report itself does not explicitly endorse the protocol. Later that year, Congressional researchers who examined the legal status of the Protocol advised that signature of the UNFCCC imposes an obligation to refrain from undermining the Protocol's object and purpose, and that while the President probably cannot implement the Protocol alone, Congress can create compatible laws on its own initiative.Opencrs.com

The White House has come under criticism for downplaying reports that link human activity and greenhouse gas emissions to climate change and that a White House official and former oil industry advocate, Philip Cooney, adjusted descriptions of climate research that had already been approved by government scientists. The White House has denied that Philip Cooney watered down reports. BBC (2005) In June 2005, State Department papers showed the administration thanking Exxon executives for the company's "active involvement" in helping to determine climate change policy, including the US stance on Kyoto. Input from the business lobby group Global Climate Coalition was also a factor. Guardian

At the G-8 meeting in June 2005 administration officials expressed a desire for "practical commitments industrialized countries can meet without damaging their economies". According to those same officials, the United States is on track to fulfill its pledge to reduce its carbon intensity 18 percent by 2012. Washington Post Paul Krugman notes that the use of "carbon intensity" means the target reduction of 18 percent is still actually an increase in overall emissions.NY Times

The position Bush has taken on climate change has shifted with a gradual increasing acceptance that global warming is a problem, and that it is partly caused by human activity. The United States has signed the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, a pact that allows those countries to set their goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions individually, but with no enforcement mechanism. Supporters of the pact see it as complementing the Kyoto Protocol while being more flexible, but critics have said the pact will be ineffective without any enforcement measures. Nine north-eastern states and in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with 187 mayors from US towns and cities, have pledged to adopt Kyoto style legal limits on greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 2

it's supposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a substantial amount, but the US won't ratify it because the corporate lobby in the US is so strong. Corporations in the US don't want to have to pay all the money to curtail their pollution, and with a President like Bush in the office, well, there you have the reason Kyoto wasn't ratified. The fact is, the US is one of the largest culprits of pollution and greenhouse gas emission, so the Kyoto Protocol is weakened alot when you don't have the US involved in it.

Answer 3

The US won't ratify it because there are exemptions for developing nations. The significance of that is the big manufacturing businesses will move to India and other stabile developing nations, which will hurt our economy and also still create pollution, so it will nullify the hopes of the Kyoto accord.

Answer 4

It was formed to control Green House Gases and Global warming. It s an agreement made under UNFCCC in 1997. The objective of this is to make stablization on the emission of six green house gases.

Answer 5

Even though Bush has been bought, the mayors of 248 Cities (as of 6/15/06) have signed an agreement to adhere to the Kyoto agreement.

Under the Agreement, participating cities commit to take following three actions:

1. Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns.
2. Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012.
3. Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system.

These corrageous mayors are (including the mayor of D.C.):
Mayor, City, State
Dan Coody Fayetteville AR
Patrick H. Hays North Little Rock AR
Jim Dailey Little Rock AR
Allan Maris Albany CA
Karl P. Warkomski Aliso Viejo CA
Michael L. Machi Arcata CA
Tom O'Malley Atascadero CA
Tom Bates Berkeley CA
Jef Vander Borght Burbank CA
Bruce R. Arthur Capitola CA
Dennis R. Yates Chino CA
Gail Pardini-Plass Cloverdale CA
Lisa Moore Cotati CA
Jerry Finnell Del Mar CA
Janet Lockhart Dublin CA
Robert 'Bob' Wasserman Fremont CA
Roberta Cooper Hayward CA
Jason Liles Healdsburg CA
Roger Meadows Hemet CA
Beth Krom Irvine CA
Joseph Esquivel Lakewood CA
Antonio Villaraigosa Los Angeles CA
Beverly O’Neill Long Beach CA
Mike Eng Monterey Park CA
Dennis Kennedy Morgan Hill CA
Janice Peters Morro Bay CA
Bernard H. Meyers Novato CA
Jerry Brown Oakland CA Quote
Judy Kleinberg Palo Alto CA
David Glass Petaluma CA
Jennifer Hosterman Pleasanton CA
Jake McKenzie Rohnert Park CA
Irma L. Anderson Richmond CA
Heather Fargo Sacramento CA
Larry Franzella San Bruno CA
Gavin Newsom San Francisco CA
Dave F. Romero San Luis Obispo CA
Ron Gonzales San Jose CA
Shelia Young San Leandro CA
Jan Epstein San Mateo CA
Albert J. Boro San Rafael CA
Marty Blum Santa Barbara CA
Mike Rotkin Santa Cruz CA
Pam O'Conner Santa Monica CA
Jane Bender Santa Rosa CA
Robert P. Albert Sausalito CA
Larry Robinson Sebastopol CA
Larry Barnett Sonoma CA
Edward J Chavez Stockton CA
Claudia Bill-de la Pena Thousand Oaks CA
Anthony J. Intintoli, Jr. Vallejo CA
Abbe Land West Hollywood CA
Christopher Cabaldon West Sacramento CA
Steve Allen Windsor CA
Helen Klanderud Aspen CO
Mark Ruzzin Boulder CO
John W. Hickenlooper Denver CO
Stu Ferguson Gunnison CO
John Pryor Telluride CO
John M. Fabrizi Bridgeport CT
Wiliam J. Kupinse, Jr. Easton CT
Kenneth A. Flatto Fairfield CT
Carl Amento Hamden CT
Eddie A. Perez Hartford CT
Elizabeth C. Paterson Mansfield CT
Domenique S. Thornton Middletown CT
John De Stefano, Jr. New Haven CT
Dannel P. Malloy Stamford CT
James R. Miron Stratford CT
James M. Baker Wilmington DE
Pegeen Hanrahan Gainesville FL
Joy Cooper Hallandale Beach FL
William Arthur Holly Hill FL
Mara Giulianti Hollywood FL
Robert Oldakowski Key Biscayne FL
Jimmy Weekley Key West FL
Richard J. Kaplan Lauderhill FL
Manuel A. Diaz Miami FL
Lori C. Moseley Miramar FL
Kevin Burns North Miami FL
Frank C. Ortis Pembroke Pines FL
John C. Rayson Pompano Beach FL
Robert E. Minsky Port St. Lucie FL
Steven B. Feren Sunrise FL
John R. Marks Tallahassee FL
Joe Schreiber Tamarac FL
Lois J. Frankel West Palm Beach FL
Shirley Franklin Atlanta GA
Heidi Davison Athens GA
Patsy Jo Hilliard East Point GA
C. Jack Thomas Macon GA
Jason Buelterman Tybee Island GA
Harry Kim Hilo HI
Mufi Hannenmann Honolulu HI
Bryan J. Baptiste Kauai HI
Alan M. Arakawa Maui HI
T.M. Franklin Cownie Des Moines IA
Ross Ferraro Carol Stream IL
Richard M. Daley Chicago IL
Michael D. Belsky Highland Park IL
Al Larson Schaumburg IL
Richard H. Hyde Waukegan IL
Mark Kruzan Bloomington IN
Fred L. Armstrong Columbus IN
Graham A. Richard Fort Wayne IN
Scott King Gary IN
Chuck Oberlie Michigan City IN
Dennis Highberger Lawrence KS
James A. McClinton Topeka KS
Teresa Isaac Lexington KY
Jerry E. Abramson Louisville KY
Edward G. Randolph, Jr Alexandria LA
C. Ray Nagin New Orleans LA
Thomas M. Menino Boston MA
Michael A. Sullivan Cambridge MA
Richard C. Howard Malden MA
Michael J. McGlynn Medford MA
David B. Cohen Newton MA
Joseph A. Curtatone Somerville MA
Timothy P. Murray Worcester MA
Ellen Moyer Annapolis MD
Martin O'Malley Baltimore MD
William H. Hudnut Chevy Chase MD
Michael D. Hurley Belfast ME
John Hieftje Ann Arbor MI
Robert Porter Ferndale MI
George Heartwell Grand Rapids MI
Brenda L. Lawrence Southfield MI
Mary Hamann-Roland Apple Valley MN
Herb Bergson Duluth MN Quote
Nancy Tyra-Lukens Eden Prairie MN
R.T. Rybak Minneapolis MN
Ardell F. Brede Rochester MN
Chris Coleman St. Paul MN
Chuck Tooley Billings MT
Mike Kadas Missoula MT
Ben Uchitelle Clayton MO
Robert G. Lowery Florissant MO
Kay Barnes Kansas City MO
Mike Swoboda Kirkwood MO
Mark Langston Maplewood MO
Francis G. Slay St. Louis MO
James A. Hobbs Sunset Hills MO
Charles R. Worley Asheville NC
Mark Chilton Carrboro NC
Kevin C. Foy Chapel Hill NC
William V. 'Bill' Bell Durham NC
Jerry Ryan Bellevue NE
Coleen J. Seng Lincoln NE
Mike Fahey Omaha NE
Michael E. J. Blastos Keene NH
Robert A. Baines Manchester NH
Bernard A. Streeter Nashua NH
Martin J. Chavez Albuquerque NM
Sam Hammons Capitan NM
William M. Mattiace Las Cruces NM
Joseph V. Doria, Jr. Bayonne NJ
Raymond McCarthy Bloomfield NJ
Joseph C. Scarpelli Brick Township NJ
Fred Pitofsky Closter NJ
J. Christian Bollwage Elizabeth NJ
Wendell E. Pribila Ewing NJ
Glen D. Gilmore Hamilton NJ
Robert F. Patten Hightstown NJ
Timothy L. McDonough Hope NJ
David R. Nettles Hopewell NJ
Alberto G. Santos Kearny NJ
Sharpe James Newark NJ
Albert T. McWilliams Plainfield NJ
Joanne Atlas Ringwood NJ
Dave Fried Robbinsville NJ
Gregory McDermott Westfield NJ
John F. McKeon West Orange NJ
Shing-Fu Hsueh West Windsor NJ
Oscar B. Goodman Las Vegas NV
Gerald D. Jennings Albany NY
Anthony M. Masiello Buffalo NY
Wayne J. Hall Hempstead NY
Dennis P. Flood Irvington, Village of NY
Carolyn Peterson Ithaca NY
Ernest D. Davis Mt. Vernon NY
Michael R. Bloomberg New York City NY
Vincenzo V. Anello Niagara Falls NY
William A. Johnson, Jr. Rochester NY
Eugene J. Murray Rockville Centre NY
Brian U. Stratton Schenectady NY
Joseph M. Delfino White Plains NY
Kenneth E. Patton Brooklyn OH
Rhine L. McLin Dayton OH
Thomas J. Longo Garfield Heights OH
Jack Ford Toledo OH
Harold Haralson Norman OK
John W. Morrison Ashland OR
Helen M. Berg Corvallis OR
Kitty Piercy Eugene OR
Judie Hammerstad Lake Oswego OR
Tom Potter Portland OR
Richard E. Filippi Erie PA
John F. Street Philadelphia PA
James E. Doyle Pawtucket RI
David N. Cicilline Providence RI
Scott Avedisian Warwick RI
Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Charleston SC
Joseph T. McElveen, Jr. Sumter SC
Charles Womack Cookeville TN
Robert Cluck Arlington TX
Will Wynn Austin TX
Laura Miller Dallas TX
Euline Brock Denton TX
Mary Lib Saleh Euless TX
Richard Ward Hurst TX
Elizabeth G. Flores Laredo TX
Bill Whitfield McKinney TX
David G. Wallace Sugar Land TX
David Sakrison Moab UT
Dana Williams Park City UT
Rocky Anderson Salt Lake City UT
William D. Euille Alexandria VA
David E. Brown Charlotteville VA
Meyera E. Oberndorf Virginia Beach VA
Peter Clavelle Burlington VT
Peter B. Lewis Auburn WA
Darlene Kordonowy Bainbridge Island WA
Mark Asmundson Bellingham WA
Noel Gibb Burien WA
Gary Haakenson Edmonds WA
Ray Stephanson Everett WA
Ava Frisinger Issaquah WA
Mary-Alyce Burleigh Kirkland WA
Virgil Clarkson Lacey WA
Mike McKinnon Lynnwood WA
Mark Foutch Olympia WA
Rosemarie Ives Redmond WA
Kathy Keolker-Wheeler Renton WA
Greg Nickels Seattle WA
Robert L. Ransom Shoreline WA
Bill Baarsma Tacoma WA
Royce E. Pollard Vancouver WA
Friedrich P. Schnook Ashland WI
Michael J Neitzke Greenfield WI
John D. Medinger La Crosse WI
Dave Cieslewicz Madison WI
Gary Becker Racine WI
Irene Blakely Washburn WI
Theresa M. Estness Wauwatosa WI
Jeannette Bell West Allis WI
Anthony A. Williams Washington, DC