Chapter 18: Problem 19

What is the Kyoto Protocol? What happened in Copenhagen? In Bali? What is the climate emissions gap?

Short Answer

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The Kyoto Protocol is a 1997 treaty committing ratified countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Copenhagen Summit in 2009 aimed for a global climate agreement, but perceived as a disappointment due to lack of binding agreements. The Bali Climate Change Conference in 2007 resulted in the Bali Road Map, including the Bali Action Plan outlining key issues to be negotiated. The climate emissions gap is the difference between predicted and permissible greenhouse gas production to limit global temperature rise and prevent severe impacts of climate change.

Step by step solution

Understanding the Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is a legally binding international treaty signed in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. The protocol commits countries that ratify it to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases, the primary driver of global warming, in a bid to mitigate the effects of climate change. The protocol set rigid targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European Union to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Copenhagen Summit

The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference or the Copenhagen Summit was held in Denmark's capital. It was viewed as a critical moment for global climate change policies, with the goal to establish an ambitious global climate agreement. However, the meeting did not result in the binding agreements that were expected, and it is often perceived as a significant disappointment in the fight against climate change.

Bali Climate Change Conference

The Bali Climate Change Conference was held in 2007 in Bali, Indonesia. During this meeting, the participants agreed on the Bali Road Map, which includes the Bali Action Plan. This plan outlines key issues to be negotiated up to 2009, including action on adaptation, mitigation, technology development and transfer, and financial resources and investment.

Explaining the Climate Emissions Gap

The climate emissions gap, also known as the 'emissions gap', is the difference between how much greenhouse gas is predicted to be produced globally if we continue with current trends, and how much is permissible to be produced if we are to meet the target of limiting the global temperature rise to well below 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

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What is the Kyoto Protocol? What happened in Copenhagen? In Bali? What is the climate emissions gap?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understanding the Kyoto Protocol

Copenhagen Summit

Bali Climate Change Conference

Explaining the Climate Emissions Gap

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