Layden 1
Kerry Layden
IDS 3303
Dr. Schnackenberg
April 4, 2005
The Kyoto Treaty: The Cure of Global Warming?
Global warming is a problem that the whole world is facing today. It is something that is affecting everyone, and will continue to affect us into the future. Due to the emission of gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere global warming is occurring and has caused many changes in the earth’s atmosphere. There has been an increase in temperature, shifts in the ecosystem, and species extinction among other problems. While we can not undo the damage that we have already done to the atmosphere, there are things that we can change so that the global warming process is slowed down drastically. Unfortunately, because global warming effects the whole world it has been impossible to get everyone to work together to fight this problem. One example of an attempt to fight global warming is the Kyoto Treaty. The Kyoto Treaty requires all the nations that contribute the most to the gas emissions to lower their emissions a certain percentage in the next decade. Due to various reasons, the United States has chosen against the ratification of this treaty. Global warming is a problem that must be dealt with immediately, but is the Kyoto Treaty the answer?
Many people are confused bythe term global warming. It is hard for New Yorkers to believe that the temperature is rising after they just recently faced an extremely cold winter. Understanding the science behind global warming is an important step in understanding why it is a serious problem. Global warming happens because carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, traps the sun's heat which causes the planet to warm up (nrdc.org). This “thickening blanket” is causing many problems. It is affecting the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is important to the regulation of the earth’s temperatures. “Without a natural greenhouse effect, the temperature of the Earth would be about zero degrees F (-18°C) instead of its present 57°F (14°C)” ( Scientists have been tracking temperature rises in the air and water which prove there is a temperature increase of about one or two degrees. This does not seem like something to worry about, but the temperature will continue to increase until we change our ways.
It has been proven that global warming is affecting the atmosphere and has caused many changes. Global warming has caused climate changes, health problems, warming water, and ecosystem disruption. The climate changes include the increasing temperature. “Seven of the ten warmest years in the 20th century occurred in the 1990s. 1998, with global temperatures spiking due to one of the strongest El Niños on record, was the hottest year since reliable instrumental temperature measurements began” ( There have also been significant increases in droughts, wildfires, and more intense rainstorms: “dry conditions produced the worst wildfires in 50 years in Florida in 1998” ( The health effects already have been bad, but have the potential to become far worse. Extreme heat waves plagued Europe in 2003. There were more than 20,000 deaths as a result ( Warming water is another cause for concern. It is causing glaciers to melt and early ice thaw: “at the current rate of retreat, all of the glaciers in GlacierNational Park will be gone by 2070” ( Melting glaciers will cause rapid increases in sea level. Global warming is even powerful enough to cause ecosystem disruptions: “in Washington's Olympic Mountains, sub-alpine forest has invaded higher elevation alpine meadows. In Bermuda and other places, mangrove forests are being lost” ( All of these consequences of global warming are serious now, but will only become worse as time goes on.
There are ways to slow down the process of global warming. It is important that we act now because soon there will be irreversible damage. Gases that have been released into the atmosphere today could stay there for an entire century. This is why it is important that gas emissions be cut down right away. The Kyoto treaty was designed to do just that. “It commits industrialized nations to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, principally Carbon Dioxide, by around 5.2% below their 1990 levels over the next decade” (news.bbc.co.uk). Drawn up in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, the agreement needs to be ratified by countries who were responsible for at least 55% of the world's carbon emissions in 1990 to come into force. The agreement was dealt a severe blow in March 2001 when President George W. Bush announced that the United States would never sign it. “A scaled-down version was drawn up four months later and finalized at climate talks in Bonn in Germany in 2002. The Bonn agreement reduced cuts to be made to emissions of six gases believed to be exacerbating global warming - from the original treaty's 5.2% to 2%. It was hoped that these slightly watered down provisions would allow the US to take up the Kyoto principles - but this has not proved to be the case” (news.bbc.co.uk). The United States is the biggest contributor to the gas emissions that are causing global warming, which is why their support is imperative.
The United States makes up 4% of the world’s population, but emits 25% of the carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel emission. This is the largest share out of all of the countries: we emit more than India, China, and Japan combined. It is impossible to have an effective policy on the fight against global warming without the cooperation of the United States. We are responsible for too much of the total emissions for a policy to work without us. Reasons behind the United States’ decision not to ratify the treaty are highly political. Some of their main arguments against the Kyoto treaty have to do with the operations aspects. The government feels that the methods behind figuring out which countries are responsible for emissions and how to punish those who do not comply are not fair. The United States proposed many revisions to the protocol, but the European Union rejected them claiming that they were ignoring environmental and economic realities. They also believe that emission targets are not scientifically based or environmentally effective. President Bush said:
As we promote electricity and renewable energy, we will work to make our air cleaner. With the help of Congress, environmental groups and industry, we will require all power plants to meet clean air standards in order to reduce emissions of sulfur emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury, and carbon dioxide within a reasonable period of time. And we will provide market-based incentives, such as emissions trading, to help industry achieve the required reductions(Contemporary Practice of the United States Relating to International Law 648)
The Kyoto Protocol entered into force internationally on February 16th without the participation of the United States or Australia “establishing legally binding limits for industrialized countries on emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases” (Breidenish 315).
Scientists say that unless global warming emissions are reduced, “average U.S. temperatures could rise another 3 to 9 degrees by the end of the century -- with far-reaching effects. Sea levels will rise, flooding coastal areas. Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense. Droughts and wildfires will occur more often. Disease-carrying mosquitos will expand their range. And species will be pushed to extinction” (NRDC.org). The Kyoto Treaty is just one example of an attempt to control toxic emissions into the atmosphere. “The United States should participate fully with officials at an appropriate level in international agreements and in programs to address greenhouse warming, including diplomatic conventions and research and development efforts” (NAS on Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming). The United States is an integral force in the fight against global warming. This is not to say that developing countries are not responsible for their share of emissions. According to Frederick Meyerson, “stabilizations of the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will also clearly require the participation of the developing world, which will become an equal and then progressively greater source of emissions within the next few decades” (126). While scientists have said that these reductions will not help global warming, they still support the Kyoto Treaty because it is a step towards everyone working to emit less pollutants into the atmosphere. The science is there: global warming is in effect. Unfortunately, the laws are not there. In order to attempt a fight against global warming, all countries must be willing to support the laws needed to make sure we all change our emission rates.
Works Cited
Contemporary Practice of the United States Relating to International Law
U.S. Rejection of Kyoto Protocol Process
The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 95, No. 3. (Jul., 2001), pp. 647-650.
This article provided insight into the reasons behind the United States rejection of the Kyoto Treaty. It provided an objective view of the protocol as something that is needed, but may need some changes to be more realisic in today’s economic society.
Current Developments
The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Clare Breidenich; Daniel Magraw; Anne Rowley; James W. Rubin
The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 92, No. 2. (Apr., 1998), pp. 315-331
This article also provided a lot of useful information about the Kyoto Treaty, Global Warming, and the United States involvement in both these issues.
NAS on Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming
[The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, a unit of the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine]
Population and Development Review, Vol. 17, No. 2. (Jun., 1991), pp. 364-367.
This article provided an alternative to the Kyoto Treaty. The author suggested a per capita based policy towards global warming. It stressed the need for everyone to cooperate and actively seek out policies that fight global warming.
ncdc.noa.gov
This website was also very informative on the topic of global warming. There were fact sheets and in depth articles. It is a government website about climate and climate changes
News.bbc.co.uk
This article provided an excellent overview of the Kyoto Treaty and the percentages each nation needed to commit to. It also gave a brief summary of the events involved.
Nrdc.org
This website was the most useful site in relation to the science behind global warming. It was an organized look at the consequences of global warming and their effect on the earth.
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Population, Carbon Emmissions, and Global Warming: The Forgotten Relationship at Kyoto
Frederick A. B. Meyerson
Population and Development Review, Vol. 24, No. 1. (Mar., 1998), pp. 115-130.
This article is about the effect of increasing world population on the emission of greenhouse gases. No matter how much we cut, there will still be an increase because the population is constantly increasing.
Ucsusa.org
This website gave interesting facts about global warming. It provided concerns and consequences of global warming.
Works Consulted
The Council of Economic Advisers on Climate Change and the Kyoto Agreement
Council of Economic Advisers
Population and Development ReviewVol. 24, No. 1 (Mar., 1998), pp. 189-193
This article was very informative about the Kyoto Treaty and global warming. It talked about all the effects of global warming, and had all of the same information as all of the websites and other articles. It was a good overview of my topic.
This website showed a map of the world with symbols showing where the most greenhouse gases are emitted.