A Summary of the
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto protocol on climate Change became
international law on February 16, 2005.
The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding
international agreement that will commit
industrialized countries to reduce emissions
of the six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons,
perfluorocarbons, and sulfur dioxide. Each
of these gases has distinct properties,
and the overall emissions reduction targets
for the six gases are weighted by the relative
heat-trapping effect of each gas.
The
agreement specifies that both developed
and developing countries must follow a number
of steps including: designing and implementing
climate change mitigation and adaptation
measures; preparing national inventories
of emissions removals by "carbon sinks";
implementation and cooperation in development
and transfer of climate friendly technologies;
and partnerships in research and observation
of climate science, impacts and response
strategies. Developing countries are not
legally bound to emissions reduction targets
yet because, historically, they have been
responsible for only a small portion of
the global greenhouse gas emissions.
Commitment
Periods
Now
adopted, the agreement calls for each country
to remain within their assigned emissions
quota over a five-year period, from 2008
to 2012, the first commitment period. Under
the Kyoto Protocol, the overall emissions
from industrialized countries would be reduced
five percent below 1990 levels during this
period, and negotiations on reduction commitments
for subsequent periods must begin no later
than 2005.
Emissions
Reduction Targets
The
target amounts for each country are listed
as a percentage of their base-year emissions
(1990 for most countries), ranging from
a reduction of 8 percent for most European
countries to a 10 percent increase for Iceland.
A
provision in the agreement allows for a
nation to meet its reduction quota by reducing
emissions from power plants and automobiles;
however, developed countries can also achieve
their commitments by deducting the greenhouse
gas emissions absorbed by carbon sinks (like
forests) from their gross emissions in the
commitment period. This provision includes
emissions absorbed or emitted by certain
land-use changes and forestry activities,
such as reforestation.
Ratification
The
treaty becomes effective 90 days after ratification.
The ratification procedure requires the
signatures of 55 industrialized nations
accounting for at least 55 percent of the
global greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized
countries in 1990. Although the United States
signed the agreement on Nov. 12, 1998, approval
by a two-thirds majority in the Senate was
not achieved. Even without U.S. approval,
the Kyoto Protocol seems to be nearing its
55 percent ratification quota.
As
a Canadian ISO 14001 company, Viconics applauds
the Kyoto Protocol’s mandate, we are
striving to do our part as a concerned corporate
citizen and reduce greenhouse gases in our
daily manufacturing activities.
Sources
and additional information
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