What are the lessons learnt from adopting the Kyoto agreement?
The Kyoto Protocol is generally seen as the first small step in reducing global emissions but can provide much of the legal architecture for whatever will follow post-2012. The Protocol was adopted in 1997. In subsequent years, the details of the protocol were thrashed out. The final “rule book” of the treaty was not agreed until four years later and it did not enter into force until 2005. It was only then that a sufficient number of governments ratified it. In Copenhagen, a deal must be clinched that can enter into force in 2013. The US rejected the Protocol on the grounds that it put their economy at a competitive disadvantage. This concern – shared by many countries – must be addressed for Copenhagen to be a success. Q. What are the details of the Kyoto Protocol? The Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations than on developing countries as it recognizes that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Under the