Give a brief account of each of the following international agreements with respect to the environment. Have each of these agreements been successful?a. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)b. Montreal Protocolc. Kyoto Protocold. Paris Agreement

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

POSSIBLE RESPONSE:

a. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) establishes international cooperation to prevent international trade from endangering the survival of species. CITES has been reasonably successful-no CITES-listed species has become extinct as a result of international trade.

b. In 1987, over 50 nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The signing parties agreed to ban exports and imports of chlorofluorocarbon compounds (CFCs) and halons. By 2000, concentrations of chlorine-containing compounds in the stratosphere peaked and began to decline. The success seems to be based on clear scientific evidence, the small number of CFC producers, the availability of substitutes at reasonable cost, and the fact that the major producing countries were also those likely to suffer the most damage.

c. The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997 to cut industrial nations' emissions of greenhouse gases to an average of about 5 percent below their 1990 levels by the years 2008-2012. The Kyoto Protocol had a small effect due to the following reasons: First, some industrialized countries did not meet their commitments for emission reductions. Second, the United States, which accounts for about a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, decided against ratifying it. Third, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase in many developing countries, especially in China.

d. With the demise of the Kyoto Protocol, the world searched for a new way to address global warming and climate change. Signed by most of the world's countries in December 2015, the Paris Agreement came into effect in November 2016. Its goal is to keep global average surface temperatures to below 2°C above the preindustrial level. As of mid-2018, 197 countries are participating and 176 have ratified the agreement. Under the agreement countries pledge to make "intended nationally determined contributions." Pledges are essentially voluntary, and there is no enforcement mechanism. The pledges that were made as the agreement came into effect will slow the increase in annual greenhouse gas emissions, but this is not enough. With these pledges, forecasts are that global average temperature will rise by about 3°C. Two other features of the agreement may be able to shift countries toward emissions reductions over time. Every five years, each country must report on its actual emissions compared to what it had pledged, and each country must submit new reduction targets and planned actions for the following years. Thus, the Paris Agreement relies on peer pressure, exchange of information, and the good faith of current and future national governments.