1. Is There a Future for the Kyoto Protocol?

2. Overview December 11, 1997 : United Nations established treaty.
February 2005: Treaty put in force (Covers more than 60% of worldwide carbon emissions).
174 countries ratified the Treaty (only Annex I countries are required to reduce their emissions – notable exception: USA)
Ongoing debate about the usefulness of the protocol (cost versus benefit, co-operation of developing countries).

3. Objective Three Mechanisms:
"stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” (
Three Mechanisms:
Clean Development Mechanism(CDM): Credit rewards for non-developed countries.
Joint Implementation (JI): Annex I countries can convert credits from existing projects into Emission Reduction Units (future benefit for current reduction efforts).
Emissions Trading (ET): Imposes limits on carbon emissions  creating a marketplace for trading of carbon credits (also known as “Cap & Trade”)

4. India and China
CARBON EMISSIONS FROM COAL FOR INDIA AND CHINA IN COMPARISON TO THE WORLD:

5. The Good & The Bad and the Ugly
The Good: Co-operation of policy makers, scientists, and economic leaders to forge a program, that similar to the Montreal Protocol, addresses the issues and works on solutions.
The Bad: Exclusion of China, India and the United States from the overall reduction of carbon emissions.
The Ugly: Inability to politically address the seriousness of the situation on an expedient basis and forge an alliance with the non-conforming countries to the protocol before 1912.

6. Solutions
To re-examine the developing countries status every five years
To create an international fungible contract for carbon emissions.
To create a tax that is sanctioned and enforced by the United Nations on it’s membership and that the countries use this extra income for new sustainable energy projects.