The Kyoto Protocol and Climate Change
by The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that guides governmental conduct on matters of climate change. It was adopted on 11 December 1997 by a United Nations meeting on climate change held in Kyoto, Japan.
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that guides governmental conduct on matters of climate change. It was adopted on 11 December 1997 by a United Nations meeting on climate change held in Kyoto Japan.
What main issues does this protocol seek to address?
The primary objective of the Kyoto Protocol is to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in order to prevent deterioration of the world climate. The protocol seeks to cut the levels of greenhouse emissions so that the green house effect of global warming is reduced. The Kyoto Protocol requires nations around the world the world to reduce their green house emissions into the atmosphere in order to save the planet.
Why is global warming such a major concern to the Japanese people and not the Americans?
It is because Japan is a small island and global warming will cause sea-levels to rise, hence the island will be submerged by the water. The effect will be more immediate on Japanese people than on the Americans, hence this issue is more crucial to Japanese than to Americans.
What are the likely effects of global warming?
- Sea-levels will rise, leading to displacement of coastal communities to higher ground areas. This will rob them of rich fishing areas and it will seriously affect their economic well-being.
- The rise in temperatures will make life uncomfortable for people and animals on earth.
- There will be an increase in diseases since the disease causing organisms will increase in numbers due to altered world climates.
- Extreme weather phenomena will be on the rise, e.g. hurricanes, typhoons etc. these will bring about huge loses in human and animal life, and also serious loses of property.
- Alterations of the world climate will cause serious droughts in parts of the world, leading to food insecurity and general insecurity of human life on earth.
The African continent is likely to suffer MORE from the consequences of the impact of global warming than the developed world. Why is the case yet Africa emits only 03 percent of the total Carbon Dioxide emitted by the developed world?
It is because global warming, like weather will affect all nations regardless of boundaries. And Africa is very likely to have serious droughts hence food insecurity will rise. This will cause wars as a result of the scramble for the mean remaining resources.
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