Kyoto global warming treaty takes effect
The Kyoto global warming pact took effect today seven years after it was negotiated, requiring dozens of industrial nations to reduce emissions of ”greenhouse” gases believed linked to climate change.
The agreement, negotiated in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto in 1997 and ratified by 140 nations, officially went into force at midnight New York time (5am Irish Time). The pact is an adjunct to the 1992 UN treaty on climate change.
The protocol targets carbon dioxide and five other gases that can trap heat in the atmosphere, and are blamed for rising global temperatures that are melting glaciers, raising ocean levels and threatening dramatic and potentially damaging climate change.
The US, the world’s largest emitter of such gases, has refused to ratify the agreement, saying it would harm the economy and is flawed by the lack of restrictions on emissions by emerging economies China and India.
| Related Stories: |
|
