Harlan Watson, the chief climate negotiator for the United States, recently stated that he would not “rule out” the possibility of the U.S joining future climate change agreements negotiated through the U.N. His statement is a welcome sign regarding the U.S government’s position on global climate change. Senators on both sides of the aisle have become more amenable towards the prospect of a Kyoto-style system to cap emissions. Consideration of such a system has been unheard of since the Bush Administration pulled out of Kyoto at the beginning of their first term in 2001. This slight shift is a necessary first step, but the government must make greater strides in order to tackle such a serious global issue as climate change. The United States, traditionally at the forefront of innovation and bold action, needs to join its peers in protecting the world against the risk of climate change.

What is Kyoto?

The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated as part of a larger UN effort to promote sustainable development around the globe. The treaty was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 and opened for signature in March of 1998. By the date on which it took effect in February of 2005, over 140 nations had ratified the treaty, including Russia, a major emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Only two countries that had initially signed the treaty did not ratify: the United States and Australia. The Treaty sets a number of goals, the most significant of which are targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries agree to reduce their emissions of six greenhouse gases to an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012.

The U.S. emits more greenhouse gases than any other country – nearly a quarter of the world’s total – even though it represents only 4% of the world’s population.

Updated July 10, 2006

+  Citizens for Global Solutions Fact Sheet on  the Kyoto Protocol