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Kyoto protocol greenhouse gas emissions |
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The Kyoto
Protocol greenhouse gas emissions drive to lower the amount of harmful
gasses which are being produced by countries all across the world, have
until 2012 to finally see how much of an impact the protocol really has
done. There have been points of contention over the Protocol, some
stating that the greenhouse gas emissions targets were set way too low
to make any difference whatsoever to the state of the planet. The
Protocol, in order to be ratified fully, needed 55/55 countries to sign
up to full agreement in lowering the emissions. This, unfortunately,
even to this date has not happened, so there is a shortfall in the
overall effectiveness of the Protocol.
Seen as an important step forward upon its initiation, a lot of the
importance put upon the fact that so many nations had actually agreed
on something, the Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emissions targets
imbued a sense of optimism in the world. Reports had already been
released about the effects that gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane
and nitrus oxide was having on the planet, it was a bold step forward
to working together to a common solution. But between the media hype
there was a lot going on behind the scenes. There had been a lot of
discussion and disagreements over aspects about
being treated fair upon
signing.
Points of contention were raised because some countries naturally are
more conducive to cleaning air, Canada for one was such a nation who
enjoyed heavy forestation and cleaner air, despite being an
industrialised nation. Some of the other stronger industrialised
nations involved in the Kyoto protocol felt at a disadvantage, due to
the differences in economic standards, and the costs involved in having
to work much harder than other nations to get their act cleaned up and
to be able to meet targets set out. Because of the imbalance in costs,
because of the rates of emissions differing around the world in
different nations, the Kyoto Protocol when closely looked at, bore some
areas which appeared to weaken the overall intention.
But despite certain variances within the Kyoto Protocol, greenhouse gas
emissions have been brought more and more into the public eye and that
alone has served a great purpose, even if the Protocol, when it ends in
2012, has fallen short of its targets. There is an ever-growing
awareness of the need to change and adapt to the new climate that has
already besieged the world. Renewable energies and other technologies
which are looking for ways to produce more energy efficient products
such as household appliances and vehicles, will continue to drive the
era of change, even after the conclusion of the Protocol.
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