|
Kyoto protocol takes action |
 |
 |
The Kyoto Protocol
takes action in the many ways in which greenhouse gas emissions can be
reduced across the globe. The pioneering Protocol, which was ratified
as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
set about guidelines which would specifically target the problem of
climate change. The innovative international agreement, which was
signed on December 11th 1997 set out guidelines which would help the
planet recover from the decline which it had been subjected to through
industrialisation and heavy pollution. The main areas of issue were
over greenhouse gases and the sheer volume of how much was being
released into the atmosphere.
Because of the pressure to do something, after the occurrence of high
profile media reports which flooded the public consciousness with
warnings of the impact of climate change, the powers that be gathered
together to sign the important agreement for the benefit of the planet.
The Kyoto Protocol takes action to combat the greenhouse gases, by
setting targets for nations to get their emissions levels down to. The
amount of how much those levels had to be reduced, varied for different
countries, but the overall guidelines which the planet was desired to
get to, was about 5% of the emissions levels that were present in 1990.
While the Protocol may have its critics and some
flaws, it is designed
to keep all signatories happy, while at the same time attempting to
bring some harmony back to the well being of the planet. The Kyoto
Protocol takes action globally whereas other initiatives to make
changes to the world were more isolated. The strength of the
international agreement lay in its ability to not only cut back on
emissions, but also to learn how to adapt to the consequences of
climate changes that have already taken place. The search for
alternative sources of cleaner energies and adjustments to the ways of
living were top priority, as well as dealing with the ever declining
world's resources.
Like nothing seen before, the Kyoto Protocol has grown and spread its
wings to include 183 member parties as of January 2009. The Protocol
itself expires in 2012 and that will mark the end of a four year period
of time, in which changes to emissions levels across the world should
have been assessed and lowered. What the effects of this will be,
whether the guidelines set out by the Kyoto Protocol takes action in a
stern enough manner to bring about the necessary changes needed for the
environment, remains to be seen. Much work, much united work needs to
be done, but with conflicting political interests over the economic
abilities of some countries to fund eco-friendly changes, there remains
grey areas, despite its good intentions, the Protocol enough may not be
enough to invoke the necessary changes to slow greenhouse gas
emissions.
|
