Three primary international agreements aimed at mitigating global warming are the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Explain what each of these agreements aims to achieve. Then, discuss some of their shortcomings. Do you think the Paris Climate Agreement is any more likely to be successful than its predecessors? Why or why not?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. Explain the goals of the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change. For instance, it set a nonbinding goal to limit greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.
2. Explain the goals of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. For instance, it adopted a complex formula for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels in the global North over about a decade.
3. Explain the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. For instance, it calls on states to limit the global rise in temperatures to above 2 degrees Celsius below preindustrial temperatures.
4. Discuss the shortcomings of each agreement. For instance, students might state that the 1992 treaty did not commit the signatory states to meet target levels of greenhouse emissions by a particular date because of U.S. objections to such a commitment, or that the United States signed the Kyoto Agreement, but Congress would not ratify it.
5. Discuss whether the Paris Climate Agreement is likely to achieve its goals. In their discussion, students might mention that the Trump administration in 2017 announced that the United States would withdraw from the agreement, a move that was condemned by the global community.
6. Offer a concise summary and effective conclusion.