My Opinion

I believe that the Kyoto Protocol was a great idea in an attempt to reduce GHG emissions. However, as with any set of rules there are always ways to get around being punished. The JI and CDM parts of the Protocol allow countries to get out of making great sacrifices. As we live on this planet and use all the resources, we are very responsible for it. Sacrifices and compromises must be made if we plan to continue living here. We will eventually use up all the resources, so we must develop new ways of creating energy before it is too late.
The United States should join the Kyoto Treaty, or at least encourage companies to reduce emission levels. Every little step adds up to a greater one.

Loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol

Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation (CDM and JI) are major flaws in the Protocol. These loopholes are causing criticism from the press and committed countries.
Countries that have had a difficult time meeting the requirements of the Protocol can take part in the CDM. This program allows an industrious country to buy "credits" by investing in a poor country's emission-reducing industrial projects. (The poor country does not have to be committed to the Protocol (1i).) These rich countries invest in projects such as building "sinks" of plants like eucalyptus instead of investing in renewable energy sources (2g). A country can only use a max of 1% emission differences in the final amount (1h).
Unfortunately, many rich countries are abusing the program, seeing it as an easy out for reaching the emission quota.
However, with the Joint Implementation, each country must be committed to the Protocol. (1i)

Another "loophole" in the Protocol could be the fact that any country may use "roll-over" credits. This means that a country "will be allowed to bank from one commitment period to the next any assigned amount units (AAUs) that they do not need to meet their target" (1h).

Many other loopholes can and probably will be found by committed countries.

Kyoto Protocol

Adopted in December of 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was the written contract committing each signed country to its goals and regulations. The Protocol is the same thing as the UNFCCC in that it pertains to Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) and how to stabilize the levels. However, the Protocol commits each country to the decided decrees made at the frequent conferences (2).

After two and one half years of negotiations, the Convention decided that each country to sign would have to limit their GHG emissions by 5% of the 1990 levels. However, each country is not treated equally. Depending on emission levels, each country has different goals. Because the US is a major GHG emission-er, its goal would be to decrease the levels by 7%, whereas Canada need only change the levels by 6% (2b). As stated in the written text of the protocol, any the country can decrease emissions by increasing energy efficiency; researching, promoting, and developing alternative energy sources; taking measures to decrease energy emissions of businesses; and other such actions to decrease emissions.

The group will continue to meet to discuss the advancements made by each country and offer up encouraging advice to other countries which are struggling to meet the requirements.

UNFCCC

The UNFCCC, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was created in 1992 by the United Nations to address the issues that arise from Global Warming (2). Through ongoing conferences, the group (including 180 nations) makes aggressive decisions to attack Global Warming (3). "What is needed is a breakthrough in the form of a road map for a future international agreement on enhanced global action to fight climate change" (4). The UNFCCC is aimed at the "stabilization of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" (6).

In December of 1997 the Convention adopted the Kyoto Protocol (6b). Including the same ideas and goals as the Convention, the Protocol is a written binding contract for all countries included. Among the countries that have not joined are the United States and Australia(2).

I will explain in a later post what the Kyoto Protocol entails.

Resources

Annotated List of Resources
For basic information on the Kyoto Protocol, I will use the following sites:
1a. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/kyoto.html
1b. http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
1c. http://unfccc.int/2860.php
1d. http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php
1e. The Kyoto protocol. By: Ott, Hermann E.. Environment, Jul/Aug98, Vol. 40 Issue 6, p16, 10p
1f. http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/kyoto/kyotobrf.html
1g. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V2W-4CMW0JN-1&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2005&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=ba7880905c6ab525a661896c66a70776
1h. http://www.abanet.org/environ/committees/climatechange/newsletter/jan02/goldberg.html
1i. http://www.climnet.org/euenergy/CDM.htm
For information and recent news coverage, I will use:
2a. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4267245.stm
2b. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/kyoto/
2c. (Removed)
2d. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/20/business/emit.php
2e. http://www.cicero.uio.no/fulltext/index_e.aspx?id=3029
2f. http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/ern/01jul/RL30692.php
2g. http://www.energybulletin.net/4340.html
For Information-based biased websites, I will use:
3a. http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Kyoto/


All future posts including information from the previously stated sites will be quoted by the number written inside parentheses after each sentence.