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The Kyoto Protocol category in the Yahoo! Directory helped us learn more about this important environmental pact. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For the record, a convention is a formal treaty among United Nations members. Generally, a UN protocol is a less formal agreement based on a convention. The UNFCCC sought to examine global climate
change -- how it may affect us and what we can do to prevent it. Adopted December 11, 1997, in Japan, the Kyoto Protocol is an attempt to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to below 1990 levels by the year 2012. It was open for signature from March 16, 1998, to March 15, 1999, at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. During this time, 84 countries (including the United States) signed the Protocol. Currently, 122 countries have ratified
or accessed it. In order for the treaty to take effect, the countries ratifying it must account for at least 55% of carbon dioxide emissions. The Kyoto Protocol Thermometer shows the current standing. At this time, the countries that have ratified it account for 42.2% of carbon dioxide emissions. If the United States ratifies the Protocol, the percentage rate would skyrocket to 78.3%. The United States and the Bush administration continue to draw criticism for its refusal to ratify. President Bush refused to ratify the Protocol in 2001, claiming that it would hurt the U.S.
economy, costing $400 billion and over 4.9 million jobs. He also labels the agreement "unfair" because it exempts 80% of the world, including developing countries like China and India. *Editor's Note: As the status of the Kyoto Protocol and countries' carbon dioxide emissions continue to change, we have updated statistics and some information from the original column to reflect current data.
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