Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by establishing [Page 1246]reduction targets for participating nations. It is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and was signed in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997. The Protocol is based on the belief that increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a major cause of global warming, a position supported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is modeled in many respects on the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement that focuses on the reduction of ozone-depleting substances to restore the planet's ozone layer, which is widely regarded as a success. By contrast, the Kyoto Protocol was off to a slower start in achieving significant progress in ...