kyoto protocol?

Question

What is it and what are some of the pros and cons of it?

Answer 1

I could give you a lot of details, but the fact is:

there are a lot of barbarians here who criticize what they do not know. It is fair to criticize it for areas where it fails, and there are !!!

Answer 2

The Kyoto protocol is an agreement by many of the world countries to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas (e.g., CO2, CH4, etc.) emissions. While the US has essentially agreed that it's a good plan, they have not legally signed it.

By not signing this, President Bush is essentially supporting the US oil companies who would be hardest hit by the restrictions on emissions.

Kyoto is named after the city or location in Japan where the protocol was first developed.

Answer 3

The Kyoto Protocol is a futile attempt by a few scare-mongering global whiners that want to exert more control over what people do with their lives. It is disguised as a set of policies designed to prevent Global Warming. Which has been proven, time and again, to be a natural phenomenon that man cannot affect.

Answer 4

Traqqer told you what it is, I'll tell you what it isn't. The Conservative Party, which forms the government here in Canada, has done away with the Kyoto protocol. We are no longer going to adhere to any of its measures. I voted for the New Democratic Party, myself.

Answer 5

An agreement Al Gore made with the Chinese government to slow down and curb the carbon emissons from coal refinery in order to slow or stop global warming.
China needs another power source then because they just started to catch up to the modern world in the power choice.

Answer 6

In 1997, Al Gore said the US should refuse to sign it unless it included China and other emerging countries. Clinton signed it but never sent it for ratification..

Answer 7

If we would sign we would need to cut our power use to about 50% of what we are using. It would be ok to let u and your family starve . They just want to cripple the US.

Answer 8

Pros - it provides jobs for "environmental" extremists

Cons - it plans to dismantle Western economies and restribute their wealth to Third World dictatorships.

Answer 9

The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an amendment to the international treaty on climate change, assigning mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the signatory nations.

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.

The Kyoto Protocol now covers more than 160 countries globally and over 55% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

At its heart, the Kyoto Protocol establishes the following principles:

* Kyoto is underwritten by governments and is governed by global legislation enacted under the UN’s aegis
* Governments are separated into two general categories: developed countries, referred to as Annex I countries (who have accepted GHG emission reduction obligations and must submit an annual greenhouse gas inventory); and developing countries, referred to as Non-Annex I countries (who have no GHG emission reduction obligations but may participate in the Clean Development Mechanism).
* Any Annex I country that fails to meet its Kyoto obligation will be penalized by having to submit 1.3 emission allowances in a second commitment period for every ton of GHG emissions they exceed their cap in the first commitment period (i.e, 2008-2012).
* By 2008-2012, Annex I countries have to reduce their GHG emissions by an average of 5% below their 1990 levels (for many countries, such as the EU member states, this corresponds to some 15% below their expected GHG emissions in 2008). While the average emissions reduction is 5%, national limitations range from 8% reductions for the European Union to a 10% emissions increase for Iceland; but since the EU intends to meet its target by distributing different rates among its member states,[1] much larger increases (up to 27%) are allowed for some of the less developed EU countries (see below #Increase in GHG emission since 1990). Reduction limitations expire in 2013.
* Kyoto includes "flexible mechanisms" which allow Annex I economies to meet their GHG emission limitation by purchasing GHG emission reductions from elsewhere. These can be bought either from financial exchanges (such as the new unrelated-to-Kyoto EU Emissions Trading Scheme) or from projects which reduce emissions in non-Annex I economies under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), or in other Annex-1 countries under the JI.
* Only CDM Executive Board-accredited Certified Emission Reductions (CER) can be bought and sold in this manner. Under the aegis of the UN, Kyoto established this Bonn-based Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board to assess and approve projects (“CDM Projects”) in Non-Annex I economies prior to awarding CERs. (A similar scheme called “Joint Implementation” or “JI” applies in transitional economies mainly covering the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe).

What this means in practice is that Non-Annex I economies have no GHG emission restrictions, but when a GHG emission reduction project (a “GHG Project”) is implemented in these countries, that GHG Project will receive Carbon Credit which can be sold to Annex I buyers.

The Kyoto linking mechanisms are in place for two main reasons:

* the cost of complying with Kyoto is prohibitive[citation needed] for many[citation needed] Annex I countries (especially those countries, such as Japan or the Netherlands for example, with highly efficient, low GHG polluting industries, and high prevailing environmental standards). Kyoto therefore allows these countries to purchase Carbon Credits instead of reducing GHG emissions domestically; and,
* this is seen as a means of encouraging Non-Annex I developing economies to reduce GHG emissions since doing so is now economically viable because of the sale of Carbon Credits.

All the Annex I economies have established Designated National Authorities to manage their GHG portfolios under Kyoto. Countries including Japan, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and many more, are actively promoting government carbon funds and supporting multilateral carbon funds intent on purchasing Carbon Credits from Non-Annex I countries. These government organizations are working closely with their major utility, energy, oil & gas and chemicals conglomerates to try to acquire as many GHG Certificates as cheaply as possible.

Virtually all of the Non-Annex I countries have also set up their own Designated National Authorities to manage the Kyoto process (and specifically the “CDM process” whereby these host government entities decide which GHG Projects they do or do not wish to support for accreditation by the CDM Executive Board).

The objectives of these opposing groups are quite different. Annex I entities want Carbon Credits as cheaply as possible, whilst Non-Annex I entities want to maximise the value of Carbon Credits generated from their domestic GHG Projects.