Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is “an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets,” according to the UNFCCC. (“Kyoto Protocol”) Put a little more simply, the Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding agreement for the countries that have signed it to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions by a certain percentage in a set amount of time. It was first adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997, where the 30 industrialized western countries of the United Nations agreed to lower their greenhouse-gas emissions “back to 1990 levels by the year 2012.” (Rowntree, 54) Thailand signed the Kyoto Protocol in February of 1999. (“Status of Ratification”)

Emission trends of the 5 largest emitters of CO2. China & India continue to increase, others level out or decrease.

By February of 2005, the Kyoto Protocol became international law in accordance with Article 23, meaning that at least 55 Parties to the UNFCCC, accounting for at least 55% of the world’s emissions, had ratified, or confirmed, the Protocol. (“Status of Ratification”) Thailand ratified the Protocol in 2002, and began following it in February of 2005 when it became international law. (“Status of Ratification”) Today in 2014, there are 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The United States, who signed in November of 1998, did not ratify the Protocol and dropped out in 2001. (“Fast Facts”) However, the U.S. has been working to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by encouraging power plants to switch from coal to natural gas, and the U.S. has recently begun to stabilize. (Rowntree, 55)

If you would like to learn more about the Kyoto Protocol and what it entails, click here.

"Kyoto Protocol." United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. UNFCCC. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php>.

"Kyoto Protocol Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 8 Apr. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/26/world/kyoto-protocol-fast-facts/>.

Rowntree, Les. "The Changing Global Environment." Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.

"Status of Ratification." United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. UNFCCC. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/items/2613.php>.