Analysis of USAs Climate Change policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis of USAs Climate Change policies - Essay Example Among the greenhouse gasses, the most potent are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N20) and these are results of anthropogenic climate change (www.global-greenhouse-warming.com). Recognizing the hazard that greenhouse gases have and that these climate changes are anthropogenic, there have been efforts from around the world to address the problems. One of these is the Kyoto Protocol. It is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UNFCCC). "While the convention encourages industrialized nations to stabilize GHG emissions, the protocol commits them to do so" (UNFCCC). The Kyoto protocol states that the Parties included in Annex I shall pursue limitation or reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol from aviation and marine bunker fuels. Therefore, the parties in Annex I are expected to enact policies and measures necessary to minimize the adverse social and economic impact of climate change (UNFCCC) The protocol identified 3 mechanisms of reducing greenhouse gasses aside from the individual national measures. ... "The Kyoto Protocol is generally seen as an important first step towards a truly global emission reduction regime that will stabilize GHG emissions, and provides the essential architecture for any future international agreement on climate change" (UNFCCC). USA's Proposals and Policies Unfortunately, even after sending delegations to the Kyoto Protocol, "the United States steadfastly refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and actively works against the efforts of the world community to reach its full implementation" (KyotoUSA). Since USA alone emits 25% of the world's greenhouse gasses, its failure to support the Kyoto Protocol would mean that the goal of dramatically reducing green house gasses is unlikely to happen (KyotoUSA). Observing USA's dwarfism in airing its own concerns during the talk is such a humiliating, childish behaviour. The conference was supposed to be meeting of concerned countries to draft a solution to a dire worldwide problem. The protocol is supposed to be a commitment of each country involved to each and every stipulation made, but USA did otherwise, stating that the world's problem on anthropogenic climate change cannot be solved by just one treaty. The joint implementation might have been offensive to the US government, given that it would require them to pay for an extra GHG emission, revealing the country's fear of not being able to reduce greenhouse gasses below the limit. This is such an obvious weakness and USA cannot just fool other countries with this. The USA delegation presentation to post-Kyoto talk reveals that the delegation, together with the previous US administration believes that "the Kyoto (protocol) is structurally incapable of delivering the reductions in GHGs so desperately