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Article Series: Global Warming
Global Warming & Climate Change -
What Do I Need To Know?
The
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol has represented one of
the most important steps in the global fight against global
warming. The Kyoto Protocol took place in Kyoto, Japan
from December 1 through 11 in 1997. During the Kyoto Protocol, more
than 160 nations got together to discuss and negotiate and
finally ratify the Kyoto Protocol. During the Kyoto Protocol,
leaders of many nations met to negotiate several binding limitations
concerning greenhouse gases as they apply to many developed
nations. The Kyoto Protocol was based partly on the objectives
put forth in the Framework Convention on Climate Change of
1992. The outcome of this first framework convention resulted
in the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol binds all the nations
who signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol to pledge to reduce
their greenhouse gases to specific levels. It was during this
time that the United States also agreed to reduce all of their
emissions during the period of 1990 down to 7 percent during
the years between 2008 and 2012.
During this period, the United States House of Representatives
called for a scientific analysis of the global warming situation.
In answer to this request, the Committee on Science of the
United States House of Representatives asked the Energy Information
Administration (or the EIA) to analyze the recommendations
put forth in the Kyoto Protocol. The Committee on Science requested
that the Kyoto Protocol be analyzed especially in figuring
out the projections of projected energy use during the years
of 2008 and 2012.
It
was then that the Committee on Science requested that the
Energy Information Administration look over many different
cases that are energy-related carbon reductions in its report.
The Committee on Science also asked that the Energy Information
Administration take into consideration many sensitivities and
uncertainties that concern the United States government. The
United State's government was mainly concerned with the economic
growth of the country and how it would be affected by the Kyoto
Protocol, the performance and cost of developing and using
new energy technologies, the cost of switching entire infrastructures
to new energy-saving technologies, and the cost of possibly
constructing new nuclear power plants. The committee on science
also requested the Energy Information Administration to predict
many other costs of carbon reduction in its report.
How exactly did the committee on science figure out all of
these energy projections? The committee on science used the
national energy modeling system, which is an n energy economy
model that was created and maintained by the Energy Information
Administration. The national energy modeling system was used
each year by the committee in order to predict certain projections
that were then published in the annual energy outlook.
In the second letter sent by the committee to the energy information
administration, the committee then requested that the same
analysis be used as well as the same basic methodologies in
order to publish a new annual report each year. However, the
committee allowed for a certain sense of flexibility in order
to allow the national energy modeling system to incorporate
a few different factors to make sure that the system and calculations
could result to certain modifications, such as new methodologies
and trends.
Although the United States took part in the first part of
the Kyoto Protocol, they ultimately failed to ratify the Kyoto
Protocol along with over 141 countries. This put the Bush administration
under scrutiny. However, as the science of global warming becomes
clearer and worldwide consensus has taken place, the Bush administration
has begun to take action in taking certain goals regarding
global warming. The United States has, in effect, begun to
warm up to the Kyoto Protocol along with the rest of the world.
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: 2007
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