Paul Kay Science, Technology, Environment and Resources Group 9 March 1998 The final nail in the coffin for Canada's involvement in Kyoto went in on Dec. 13, 2011. "There is building evidence that, in fact, climate change is accelerating. And Canada ratified the treaty but with targets that were unachievable in the opinion of many. The Kyoto Protocol was an initiative that came out of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The climate change talks in Durban were in trouble on Friday night as China's chief negotiator firmly rejected proposals for a new global treaty on greenhouse gas emissions. sabc.co.za. It recognized that climate change was a result of greenhouse gases created by human industrial activity. Canada reneged on its obligations under the treaty and pulled out a year ago. Kyoto Protocol, subject to the precise membership requirements of those bodies. From the beginning, the treaty that was adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, was problematic. They worried about the harm it would cause Canada's economy and the fact that only developed nations had to cut back while economic up-and-comers like China, India and Brazil could pollute as much as they wanted. The Netherlands has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 4 percent a year in the period 2008-2010 relative to the Kyoto base year, whereas the target is 6 percent. The U.S., the world's biggest emitter at the time, signed up but never ratified. When he entered government a year later, the Conservatives started to lay the groundwork for much less ambitious greenhouse gas reductions. The Kyoto protocol is not quite dead As phase one of the agreement comes to an end, the entrenched positions of countries must now be reconsidered Fiona Harvey , environment correspondent Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty negotiated in 1997. Ambassador Peter Burleigh. Bob Mills was a Reform Party MP from Alberta who went to Kyoto with the government. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 but did not come into force until 2005. It only binds developed countries, and places a heavier burden on them under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities”, because it recognizes that they are largely responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere. As of June 2013, there are 192 parties to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations … We had these targets in front of us, they were impossible to hit," he said. Environmentalists decried the lack of ambition in Kyoto and warned of dire consequences for future generations. The Kyoto Protocol, which created the first binding targets to limit greenhouse gas emissions, went into effect in February 2005. Russia refused to ratify for seven years, in effect consigning the treaty to the scrapheap of history until a sudden change of heart in 2004. The controversial and ineffective Kyoto Protocol's first stage comes to an end today, leaving the world with 58 per cent more greenhouse gases than in 1990, as opposed to the five per cent reduction its signatories sought. Globally, emissions have increased by around 50% since 1990, although that growth has come mostly in poorer countries that did not sign up to Kyoto – notably China whose emissions went up 286.6% from 2.5m metric tonnes to 9.7m metric tonnes. Three years later we set new, easier-to-hit targets — 17 per cent below 2005 levels — that keep us in line with the Americans. While there is plenty of blame to be shared between the Liberals and Conservatives for Canada's failure to meet its targets and remain in Kyoto, the problem of climate change remains a growing threat. "Kyoto, for Canada, is in the past," announced Environment Minister Peter Kent at a news conference in Ottawa soon after he got off the plane from a climate change conference in Durban, South Africa. The world's biggest economy and biggest emitter, it could make or break any agreement. "The Kyoto Protocol is a dated document, it is actually considered by many as an impediment to the move forward but there was good will demonstrated in Durban, the agreement that we ended … The US, though not part of Kyoto, has seen its emissions fall to levels not seen since 1992. The CDM has produced more than 1bn credits, generating $216bn for poor countries, including China and India, and helping spread low-carbon technology. Kent gave one year's notice and, as of Dec. 15 this year, Canada was no longer a party to the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principles and provisions of the Convention and follows its annex-based structure. "In 2006, it was a pretty tough situation because nothing really had been accomplished. The Kyoto Protocol established targets for GHG emission reductions for 38 countries during its first “commitment period” of 2008-12, and allowed for “flexibilities” whereby countries exceeding their targets could off-set this by paying for emission reductions elsewhere. The EU is on track to meet its target of an 8% cut, and Japan has reduced its carbon, though that has been interrupted by the closure of nuclear plants [following the Fukushima disaster]. Although the protocol was adopted in 1997, it didn't to come into force until 2005. Global emissions have continued to grow, reaching record levels last year. It marked a historic breakthrough in negotiations – unfortunately one of the very few," says Rolf Wuestenhagen, professor at the University of St Gallen. "If we ratify this thing we'll never hit our targets," Mills warned Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien at the time, because he was worried Canada's international reputation would take a hit. In the past few years, it has been emissions from developing countries – especially China – not covered by the agreement that have been the main contribution to greenhouse gas rises. The idea was that rich nations, which had already benefited from industrialization, would reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the first part of the treaty and developing nations would join in later. Its cold war rival, Russia, had seen its economy – and emissions – collapse after the fall of communism. As phase one of the agreement comes to an end, the entrenched positions of countries must now be reconsidered, More than 30 countries – including the EU, Australia, Norway and Switzerland – are pledged to continue it beyond 2012, with fresh commitments to carbon cuts. At heart, though, he argues that the protocol will fail because of its architecture and its inability to take modern economic truths into account. Kyoto Protocol, in full Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, international treaty, named for the Japanese city in which it was adopted in December 1997, that aimed to reduce the emission of gases that contribute to global warming. Industrialised nations collectively pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by … Notwith-standing its withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, Canada remains bound by the mitigation and reporting requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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