what is the kyoto protocol 
the kyoto protocol was an international agreement that aimed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the presence of greenhouse gases ghg in the atmosphere the essential tenet of the kyoto protocol was that industrialized nations needed to reduce their co2 emissions the protocol was adopted in kyoto japan in 1997 as greenhouse gas emissions threatened climate stability 1 it was effectively replaced by the paris agreement which went into effect in 2016 2understanding the kyoto protocolthe kyoto protocol mandated that industrialized nations cut their greenhouse gas emissions at a time when the threat of global warming was growing rapidly the protocol was linked to the united nations framework convention on climate change it was adopted in kyoto japan on december 11 1997 and became international law on february 16 2005 1countries that ratified the kyoto protocol were assigned maximum carbon emission levels for specific periods and participated in carbon credit trading if a country emitted more than its assigned limit then it would be penalized by receiving a lower emissions limit in the following period developed industrialized countries made a promise under the kyoto protocol to reduce their annual hydrocarbon emissions by an average of 5 2 by the year 2012 3 targets depended on the individual country as a result each nation had a different target to meet by that year members of the european union eu pledged to cut emissions by 8 while the u s and canada promised to reduce their emissions by 7 and 6 respectively by 2012 4the amount of the kyoto protocol fund that was meant to aid developing countries in selecting industrialized processes and technologies that did not emit ghgs 5kyoto protocol mechanismsthe kyoto protocol established three different mechanisms to enable countries to meet their targeted emissions limits the three mechanisms were the kyoto protocol recognized that developed countries are principally responsible for the high levels of ghg emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity 8 as such the protocol placed a heavier burden on developed nations compared to less developed nations the kyoto protocol mandated that 37 industrialized nations and the eu cut their ghg emissions 9 developing nations were asked to comply voluntarily and more than 100 developing countries including china and india were exempted from the kyoto agreement altogether 10the protocol separated countries into two groups annex i contained developed nations and non annex i referred to developing countries the protocol placed emission limitations on annex i countries only non annex i nations participated by investing in projects designed to lower emissions in their countries 11for these projects developing countries earned carbon credits which they could trade or sell to developed countries allowing the developed nations a higher level of maximum carbon emissions for that period in effect this function helped the developed countries to continue emitting ghg vigorously 6the u s which ratified the original kyoto protocol dropped out of the protocol in 2001 the u s believed that the agreement was unfair because it called only for industrialized nations to limit emissions reductions and it felt that doing so would hurt the u s economy 12additional kyoto protocol changesglobal emissions were still on the rise by 2005 the year the kyoto protocol became international law 13 in fact there was an increase of about 40 in emissions globally between 1990 and 2009 14the eu was able to exceed its initial target and said it was on track to meet its goals to continue reducing emissions in the future 15 however the united states and china two of the world s biggest emitters produced enough greenhouse gases to mitigate any of the progress made by other nations that met their targets 16in december 2012 after the first commitment period of the protocol ended parties to the kyoto protocol met in doha qatar to adopt an amendment to the original kyoto agreement this so called doha amendment added new emission reduction targets for the second commitment period 2012 2020 for participating countries 17the doha amendment had a short life in 2015 at the sustainable development summit held in paris all unfccc participants signed yet another pact the paris climate agreement which effectively replaced the kyoto protocol the paris climate agreement is a landmark environmental pact that was adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative effects the agreement includes commitments from all major ghg emitting countries to cut their climate altering pollution and to strengthen those commitments over time 18a major directive of the deal calls for reducing global ghg emissions to limit the earth s temperature increase in this century to well below 2 degrees celsius with an aim for below 1 5 degrees celsius relative to preindustrial levels the paris agreement also provides a way for developed nations to assist developing nations in their efforts to adapt climate control and it creates a framework for monitoring and reporting countries climate goals transparently 2every five years countries engage in the global stocktake which is an assessment of their progress under the paris climate agreement 19the kyoto protocol todayin 2016 when the paris climate agreement went into force the united states was one of the principal drivers of the agreement and president obama hailed it as a tribute to american leadership 20in the same period presidentidal candidate donald trump criticized the agreement as a bad deal for the american people and pledged to withdraw the country from the agreement if elected in 2017 then president trump announced that the u s would withdraw from the paris climate agreement the former president did not begin the formal withdrawal process until november 4 2019 21 the u s formally withdrew from the paris climate agreement on november 4 2020 the day after the 2020 presidential election in which donald trump lost his reelection bid to joseph biden 2223on january 20 2021 his first day in office president biden began the process of rejoining the paris climate agreement which officially took effect on february 19 2021 24kyoto protocol timelinebelow are some relevant dates relating to the development implementation and revisions to the kyoto protocol 