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Kyoto Protocol


Hotter, drier climates in some parts, colder climates in others. Rising sea levels, loss of bio diversity and so on. Global warming affects everything. Greenhouse gases are major cause of it. The gases include Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4)
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) , Perfluorocarbons (PFCs, and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) . The Kyoto Protocol is an attempt to control these and other effects.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement among countries to limit emissions of these greenhouse gases. Any effort is better than none. Recycling, planting trees, using water-fueled cars and so on. Almost all countries worldwide have ratified the Kyoto Protocol but the country emitting the most greenhouse gases has not and probably would never ever. I am really shock about it. As an economics student, I am taught to optimize the use of scarce resources to meet unlimited demand of man in society and thus help save Mother Nature. This is why I feel really bad that the United States of America discarded the protocol.
Although I think I cannot blame the US for discarding it. Because many manufacturers in the US inevitably emit greenhouse gases to work, ratifying the protocol would cause losses in the prospective economic output of the country which would greatly hurt its economy. Since many people from different countries are dependent on the US, no one can just force the US to approve the protocol. US is powerful and influential around the globe that Kyoto Protocol simply is not enough.
Kyoto Protocol is hard to implement. Citizens can go to other countries and buy emissions or to finance a project in another country which makes it hard to determine the most greenhouse gases precisely. Consequently, there is no way to know if people really follow what the protocol says.
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