Why did the Kyoto Protocol have only a small impact on overall global greenhouse-gas emissions? Which two countries missed their targets by the largest amounts?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

POSSIBLE RESPONSE: There are a host of factors that explain why the Kyoto Protocol had a small impact on overall global greenhouse-gas emissions. First, some industrialized countries did not meet their targets for emissions reductions. Canada's emissions increased about 20 percent from the 1990 base. However, it had committed to reducing emissions to about 6 percent below the 1990 level. For Australia, emissions were about 30 percent above the 1990 level. Second, the United States, which accounts for about a fifth of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions, did not take part in the agreement. In 2001, President George W. Bush indicated that the science was too uncertain for taking on such a costly process to reduce emissions. He also indicated that it was unacceptable that developing countries such as China had not made commitments. U.S. emissions increased to about 10 percent above their 1990 level. Third, greenhouse-gas emissions have continued to increase in many developing countries. Most important, emissions from China almost tripled from 1990 to 2010, so China now is the source more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.