The Kyoto Protocol is a mystery to a lot of people. I asked around
while making this webpage and got responses like these: "I have no
clue what you're talking about," "I've never heard of it before," and,
"The what?" Even those who have heard of the Protocol, have
heard very little of what it is about.
I have recently found out that the Kyoto Protocol is "an extraordinary
and unprecedented achievement in international affairs." (Grubb,
xli)1 In technical terms, it is even
more impressive. It is, really, the first worldwide attempt to reach
consensus about the global environment.
“The Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) represents a pinnacle of trends towards globalization in economic and environmental policy, and defines the basic structural elements upon which global efforts to tackle climate change in the twenty-first century will rest.” (Grubb, xxxiii)1
The Kyoto Protocol is an international attempt
to provide for the future of our planet. The attempt is based on
the control and limitation of Greenhouse gases. Of these gases: Carbon
Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), and Water Vapor (H2O), the Protocol focuses
on CO2. It has, so far, not commanded the respect such an effort
should be given: by the governments involved, the governments of the uninvolved
states, or the individual citizens of these States. Knowing that
every state has an Interest in Global health is not enough, we must understand
what that interest really is. It is necessary to provide some sort
of guideline for the Global Interest because, without defined guidelines,
it is difficult to advocate a nebulous idea.