Is the Kyoto Treaty a Success in Addressing the Rise in Greenhouse Gas Research Paper

Is the Kyoto Treaty a Success in Addressing the Rise in Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Research Paper Example Initially adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997, this treaty, however, has not yet been ratified by major countries and some other industrial countries like Canada have even withdrawn from the treaty. (The Guardian,). The lack of proper ratification and adoption of the treaty by major industrial nations have put serious doubts over the ability of the treaty to actually enforce protocols required to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions by countries which are responsible for most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. (Ross,95) Over a period of time, despite the fact that countries have been able to cut greenhouse emissions, the over general emission levels have increased. These trends have put serious questions over the ability of treaty to successfully control the greenhouse emissions from the major industrialized nations of the world. This paper will argue whether the Kyoto protocol was successful in controlling greenhouse emissions or not. Climate Change & Greenhouse Emis sions Over the period of time, scientific evidence emerged which suggested a climate change being caused by the way humans actually interact with their environment. The rapid industrialization witnessed by major developed countries during the 20th century is considered as one of the key reasons behind this climate change. With over 100 years of greenhouse emission, the overall ecosystem of the earth is believed to be out of balance and a clear need for reducing the emission was recognized in order to stabilize the earth’s environment. (Henson,15) During the 1990s, environmental issues became a strategic concern and for the first time, it was recognized that there is a clear need for putting into practice certain standards and efforts which can obligate industrial nations to actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The 1990s saw great diplomatic efforts to actually develop a comprehensive framework for industrialized nations to actually agree upon certain standards to r educe greenhouse emissions. These diplomatic efforts finally resulted in the development and introduction of what is now called the Kyoto protocol or the Kyoto treaty. (Grubb, Vrolijk, Brack, & Energy and Environmental Programme,54)