Examination of the United States Position on the Kyoto Treaty
According to an article found in the journal, Harvard International Review, in 1997 one-hundred sixty nations from around the world met in Kyoto Japan to discuss global climate change and to implement a strategy for correcting the problem (Zepeda, 2004). As a result of this meeting the Kyoto Protocol was created. This protocol is actually a treaty that has since been successfully implemented (Zepeda, 2004). The treaty or protocol was designed to obligate the countries that sign the treaty to revert back to the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions standards of 1990 by the year 2012. In addition, the treaty required that 55 or more nations that compose 55% of worldwide GHG emissions to sign the treaty in order for the treaty to be effective (Zepeda, 2004). Schreurs (2002) asserts that at the time of the 1997 meeting there were great expectations for the development of an international treaty that would address the issue of global warning. The international community was also anticipating the support and participation of the United States. This anticipation existed because President Clinton and in particular Vice President Al Gore were known for their environmentally friendly beliefs and initiatives (Schreurs, 20
"The United States has remained opposed to the Kyoto treaty which has caused some international and domestic backlash. It seemed that the real reason why the U. The international backlash has occurred because many leaders from around the world believe that America has a responsibility to participate in the reduction of Global warning because the United States is responsible for a great deal of the environmental destruction that is occurring. According to an article published by the United Nations, the treaty came into force on February 16, 2005. On the other hand, the article also explains that although that American government decided to withdraw from the treaty, many of the states and large businesses in America have adapted emissions policies that are consistent with those set forth in the treaty ("UN's Kyoto treaty against global warming comes into force", 2006). In addition the administration attempted to persuade the new government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to wait for a United States proposal "before agreeing to anything in Bonn. withdrew had to do with the administration not wanting to ruffle the feathers of large business; oil companies in particular. The European Union was particularly wounded by Bush's withdrawal, and felt that it needed to swiftly reemphasize the significance of Kyoto by encouraging more participation. For instance the European governments that would not accept the smallest modifications to the Kyoto emissions-reduction targets during previous negotiations, had to deal with the reality that the treaty might collapse if the Protocol were not completed by July in time for the next negotiating session in Bonn, Germany (Wirth 2002). Indeed at the time Gore was the greenest politician to be member of the White House in many years (Schreurs, 2000). The global media publicly denounced the United States as an anti-environmentalist and unilateralist entity. In addition there were indications that the Clinton administration would shift US positions on important global environmental issues. from the treaty because President Clinton had already committed the country as one of the signatory nations (Wirth 2002). Although Bush always asserted that the Kyoto treaty because it threatened the American economy, during the campaign he embraced domestic emissions reduction measures that other administrations had not even considered (Wirth 2002). Conclusion The purpose of this discussion was to examine the United States position on the Kyoto Treaty.
Common topics in this essay:
President Bush,
George Bush,
UN's Kyoto,
Protocol Wirth,
Gas GHG,
President Clinton,
Earth Day,
According Wirth,
United States',
Kyoto Treaty,
kyoto treaty,
zepeda 2004,
wirth 2002,
schreurs 2000,
treaty effective,
treaty united,
global warming,
president bush,
kyoto treaty united,
treaty treaty,
united position,
un's kyoto treaty,
comes force 2006,
kyoto treaty global,
treaty global warming,
|
Acceptance Essays
