Kyoto Kyoto ProtocolProtocol

IDC3O3Ms. Nguyen

Climate ChangeClimate Change• Human activities clearly influence global

climate change• Canada will experience greater temperature

changes than most regions of the world

•More heat waves•Increased storms•Floods•Droughts•Major shifts in fisheries•Forestry•Agricultural resource bases •Damage to the northern ecosystems

Kyoto ProtocolKyoto Protocol• An agreement negotiated by many countries in

December 11, 1997

• Ratification on February 16, 2005 with Russia

• The terms required that at least 55 parties to ratify the agreement and for the total of those parties emission to be at least 55% of global production of greenhouse gases

• Developed under UNFCCC (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)

Continue…Continue…• Committed to cut emissions of greenhouse gases such

as:o Methane (CH4)o Nitrous oxide (N2O)o Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs)o Perflourocarbons (PFCs)o Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)

CONTINUE…CONTINUE…• Goal:

o To have participants collectively reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% below the emission level of 1990 by 2012

• If participating countries continue with emissions above their targetoMust engage in emissions trading (i.e.

buying “credits” )• Note: By 2005, Canada’s greenhouse

emissions had increased by 25.3% over 1990 levels

Loop HoleLoop Hole

• Individual countries were assigned higher or lower targets and some countries were permitted increases

• India and China are not obligated to reduce greenhouse gas production because they are developing countriesoChina and India now have one of the

highest carbon emissions….but not the highest/capita

• Major hole in the Kyoto Protocol

SIGNING VS. SIGNING VS. RATIFICATION RATIFICATION

• Signature is symbolic; a token gesture of support• Ratification carries legal obligations and

contractual arrangement• 169 countries have ratified

o 2 countries (USA and Australia) refused to ratify Kyoto up until Dec. 2007 – when Australia did ratify, the USA still has not.

o US (largest emitter of carbon dioxide)o Australia (highest amount of carbon dioxide

emission per person)

Role of the USRole of the US• With only 4-5% of the world population, the US

accounts for between 20-35 percent of the global emissions of greenhouse gases

• February 2002: US would use a “voluntary approach”o Purpose of reducing ‘greenhouse gas intensity’ by 18%

over 10 years

• ‘Greenhouse gas intensity’ is the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions to economic outputo Emissions would continue to increase as the economy

grows but at a slower rate than out arrangement

COCO22 Emission by Emission by RegionRegion

Carbon OffsetsCarbon Offsets• Carbon offset

o Financial transaction to compensate for the generation of GHG emissions through activities such as traveling or use of electricity

o Measures in metric tons of CO2 equivalent with one carbon offset equaling one ton of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gas

• Two categorieso Government/companies purchasing carbon offset

• Within the Kyoto Protocol as an option to meet emissions targets

o Individuals/companies • Purchase carbon offsets to mitigate the GHG emissions for

activities such as travel• Used to plant trees that absorb GHGs

Carbon TaxCarbon Tax• Tax would be levied on countries based on their

generation of GHGso Creating a market for GHG emissions, with some

countries not able to meet their target purchasing emission capacity from other countries

• Feb. 2008 British Columbia introduced the first carbon tax in Canadao Rationale:

• “Carbon price” can help fix the imbalance between clean energy and carbon –intensive fossil fuel

• Introduce true cost of carbon emissions into equation• Revenue can be used to pay for the massive increase

in home efficiency and deployment of green energy technology

Kyoto – Success or Failure? Kyoto – Success or Failure?

• Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are risingo No signs of slowing down

• Global temperature continues to rise• Positive feedback loops in nature being revealed

that amplify warming • Kyoto should be viewed as a stepping stone for

more drastic action

Still unsure – Then Why Carry Still unsure – Then Why Carry

On? On? • Precautionary principle:

“When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically”

• Basically – when faced with reasonable suspicion of harm, the precautionary approach urges a full evaluation of available alternatives for the purpose of preventing or minimizing harm

• Success story – Montreal Protocol – International Treaty created in 1987 with objective of restoring and protecting the ozone layer

• http://ozone.unep.org/Publications/MP_A_Success_in_the_making-E.pdf