GEF

Unit 8  |  Government and Sustainability 172 Not all international strategies are successful. One of the first international attempts to reduce global greenhouse gas emis- sions was a United Nations Framework on Climate Change agreement called the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Thirty-seven industrialized countries and the European community agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. In 2012, a different set of participants agreed to the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol. The amendment commits to reducing emissions by at least 18 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Unfortunately, even though so many countries pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, it has not worked. In fact, globally, greenhouse gas emissions have increased. Some countries were able to meet or exceed their goals, but other nations fell short. And the largest emit- ters—China and the U.S.—emit such high levels that they erase the reductions made by the other countries. This highlights some of the challenges faced by international agreements. First, not all countries join the agreement. Second, not all countries are willing or able to live up to their promises. And third, the member countries negotiating the agreement may have different goals. As a result, the standards set by the agreement may not be enough to actually affect change. When the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2020, it will be replaced by the Paris Agreement, established in 2015. As of March 2017, 141 countries had agreed to ratify the agreement, which would go into effect in the year 2020. Many scientists predict the Paris Agreement will not be any more successful than the Kyoto Protocol. ?  DID YOU KNOW In some countries, carbon taxes have been effective at lowering GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. Sweden has spearheaded a transition towards biofuels by taxing vehicle fuels and heating oil. Carbon taxes combined with a Cap and Trade pro- gram enabled Switzerland to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments of reduc- ing greenhouse gases to 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2013.