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Parent Category: Global Security & Human Security

Category: Global Security

Written by Sevasti Tsimaki

The protocol is an international agreement which is connected to the United Nations Framework Convention on Global warming and Climate change. The Kyoto Protocol was first introduced in June 1992, during the Rio convention on environmental changes. It took 5 years for the protocol to be adopted, and 8 more years to be ratified (February 2005). Global warming has always been a topic which caused a lot of debates, rather heated, among important people of the planet. Its main goal is the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions. For this target to be met, the 37 industrialized countries plus the European community must lower their GHG emissions within the next couple of years. The effects of the GHG emissions are very well known to the community. Even though the greenhouse phenomenon is a natural one, the consequences of the man involved in such activities remain unknown.

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By Sevasti Tsimaki , Junior Scholar,  Program on Security Economics and International Democratic Institutions

All opinions and statements made reflect solely, the author. They do not reflect nor represent any govenrments or any organizations. They do reflect the policy opinions of Strategy International.

The greenhouse gases which are involved in the protocol are: the carbon dioxide, methane, hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. An enhanced greenhouse effect is produced by human activity. This is what the Kyoto protocol aims to tackle.

There are three categories of countries which have their own targets. The first category includes all the industrialized countries and it is called Annex I. The second category is Annex II countries which include the developed countries, and the final category includes the developing countries plus the rest of the world. The Annex I countries ought to reduce their greenhouse emissions by 5% within the years of 2008 – 2012. The main way to achieve this target is through cuts of 8% by Switzerland, East European countries, central Europe, and the European Union in general. How the EU is going to do that? By distributing different rates of ghg emissions among the members. The protocol gives the freedom to certain members to increase or stabilize their emissions. Norway for example may increase the emissions by 1%. Iceland enjoys the privilege of increasing their greenhouse gas emissions up to 10%. Australia up to 8%.

There are five principles of the protocol as well as three important mechanisms. One of the most serious principles is that the integrity of the Kyoto protocol must be ensured. This includes reporting, reviewing and accounting. Meeting the protocol’s goals as well as using the three mechanisms. A committee enforcing the principles of the protocol should be established. And the last principle is the creation of a fund for climate change.

In Copenhagen 2009 things did not work as planned. Outside the Kyoto agreement, the EU admitted to creating new legislation for emission reduction. Globally, the reduction was a lot less than hoped. The idea of cutting the emissions by 80% was abandoned.

How can the countries take the Kyoto protocol seriously if there are no penalties at all?

The Kyoto agreement is seen as a good document for further improvement. Even though it was believed that it could tackle the problems of global warming, it failed to do so. There are some reasons why the Kyoto protocol was after all an illusion. Among other reasons the most important ones are the lack of incentives, lack of penalties and of course the ratification of the protocol. As mentioned before, China is not included in Annex I countries. Since 1990 their emissions have increased by the outstanding number of 153%. They are trying to justify that by saying that they are quite new emitters and not as developed as other countries such as the U.S.

U.S. has been a trouble. They have not ratified the protocol. The world’s largest emitter not only did not reduce their emissions, but they increased it by 17% since 1990. There has been a lot of talk and heated debates in the States about this. The U.S. senate voted for a resolution which among other things included a clause which rejects internationals treaties about the environment if they did not oblige the developing countries to certain targets.

The rules of the protocol were set poorly. There are economic costs and this might be why the targets were not as high as expected. For a country to become “green” it requires millions of dollars to be spend to new green technology. Penalties were absent during all these years, or not as strict. The agreement was not legally binding and countries get away with huge amount of emissions. For example Greece and Portugal have exceeded the 25% and even if they were threatened to be kicked out of the protocol, they still haven’t.  Until today there are no penalties for a country which does not comply with the reduction targets. All the penalties are still under consideration (f.e. economic/financial penalties, trade/emissions penalties). Also, any country can leave the agreement and all it takes is an one year notice.

Agreement will not be reached unless strict rules and penalties are introduced in 2012, when the Kyoto protocol expires. The concentration of the carbon dioxide is now at its highest level for the past 800,000 years. The earth is over heated. All we need now is a radical approach otherwise we are near to killing our planet. If international agreements are not easy to set, the answer might lie on the local government initiatives, recycling, and green power. We already experience severe ice melt down, storms, species becoming extinct, new infectious diseases.

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Parent Category: Global Security & Human Security

Category: Global Security

Written by Strategy International

For Immediate Press Release by Strategy International:

From the Inside Sources of Strategy International Media Room:

According to the Independent Libyan state television reports that deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi has been killed. There has been no independent confirmation from any government source except International Media Sources. 

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