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December 7, 2005
Kyoto Protocol
Montreal, Canada was very busy today with the United Nations Climate Change Conference. This conference was held in an effort to continue discussing the Kyoto Protocol and its effectiveness as well as gain more participants. Though 180 countries have signed on, many big carbon dioxide producers such as the United States and Australia have not, and for good reason. The Kyoto Protocol is not doing enough. By excluding undeveloped countries from having to sign and not asking for very much of a reduction from its participants, it is more of an economic burden without the environmental benefit. New legislation needs to be written asking for more reduction of carbon dioxide within all countries of the world, developing or not. If global warming continues at current rates, island nations could be taken by the sea as glaciers melt and raise seal levels, great numbers of people will be displaced, temperatures in higher latitudes will rise and fertile croplands could turn to deserts.
Though it is largely ineffective (in regards to reducing total emissions), the Protocol has accomplished the goal of raising awareness of the issue of global warming and beginning the necessary process of reduction in emissions. French President Jacques Chirac made a good summation of the need for greater efforts than the Kyoto Protocol during a video conference today. He said, “Even if scientific uncertainties remain, the accumulation of evidence, the visible changes to the environment, the multiplication of extreme (weather) events bear witness to a phenomenon that no one can seriously contest any longer." He followed this by asking the world to create a new protocol that would include all nations and would involve decreasing emissions 50% by 2050. This is the type of regulation we need in order to end the threat of global warming. The U.N. Climate Change Conference shows that the world recognizes the need and the responsibility we have to lower dangerous emissions that are heightening global warming. Global warming has the potential to cause great damage to many areas of the world. The Kyoto Protocol is a step in slowing this down, but is not practical. It needs to involve all of humanity and needs to require a much higher decrease in emissions in order to make a difference and help protect the planet and its people.
Posted by at December 7, 2005 3:42 PM | 6. Energy, Economics, and Policy