The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1997. Countries that signed this protocol committed to either reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engaging in emissions trading if they maintained or increased emissions of these gases.The Kyoto Protocol now covers more than 160 countries globally and over 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However some climate sceptics believe that the agreement is a tactic by developed countries to slow economic growth in developing countries, but there are several reasons why this isn't true.

1) Climate change is not a future issue for the poorest members in the global south where tens of millions of people are already suffering. Erratic weather patterns mean that their herds are dying. Crops are failing. Malaria is on the move, stalking new regions of Africa. Of the millions of people who die of malaria, 90% are children under five. They are paying for our (developed countries) comforts with their lives. This is why developing countries are set to benefit from the carbon emissions cuts that developed countries are making.

2) The Kyoto agreement of 1997 acknowledged that developing countries contribute least to climate change but will quite likely suffer most from its effects. This is why developing countries were not expected to sign it.

3) Although it was not mandatory for developing countries to ratify the Kyoto protocol many have signed it and have not suffered negative effects to their economy from cutting down on their emissions growth. Evidence of this can be seen from a study carried out by Pew Centre in 2002 where six countries reduced their emissions growth by approximately 300 million tons a year over 30 years. The study found that the six countries had been motivated to cut their emission growth for several reasons including economic development, poverty alleviation and local environmental protection. These cut backs produced multiple benefits is evidence that they don’t harm progress in developing countries.

Useful Links:

Kyoto Agreement:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol

Pew Centre study:

http://www.pnl.gov/aisu/pubs/CCMitDevCo.pdf

carbon emissions

Image by climatechange.sea.ca/kyoto_protocol.html