Overview of Kyoto Protocol

The earth's climate system is a comprehensive system consisting of atmosphere, hydrosphere (ocean), cryosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. In the past century, the earth's climate is getting warmer. The main causes of climate warming are natural climate fluctuation and the influence of human activities. The former includes changes in solar radiation and the earth's orbit, and the impact of human activities mainly includes the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide caused by burning fossil fuels and industrial and agricultural activities. The third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that the global warming in recent 5 years was mainly caused by the greenhouse effect of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane emitted by human activities. Greenhouse effect refers to gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which can transmit short-wave radiation from the sun, but prevent the earth's surface from emitting long-wave radiation into space, thus warming the earth's surface and atmosphere. Gases such as carbon dioxide are called "greenhouse gases". A certain degree of greenhouse effect provides suitable environmental conditions for the emergence and reproduction of life on earth [12]. However, since the industrial revolution in the 18th century, the rapid development of human society and economy has consumed a lot of fossil fuels, and the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased rapidly, which has led to an increase in the global average temperature by .4℃ ~ .8℃ in the past century. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events (El Ni? o, drought, floods, thunderstorms, hail, storms, high temperature weather and sandstorms, etc.) have increased significantly around the world, and global warming has gradually become. Although scholars began to study this issue around the end of the Second World War, it was not until the 198s that with the increase of climate anomalies in the United States and other places and the general enhancement of people's awareness of environmental protection, this issue began to attract great attention from the international community and led to protracted international negotiations on climate change among governments [13]. Because climate change is not only a problem of the climate system itself, but also involves economic, political and environmental issues, the core of which is economic issues. Because to slow down climate change, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride in greenhouse gases are mainly emitted from energy utilization, industrial and agricultural production, land use change and urban waste treatment. Therefore, the emission reduction policies of various countries in mitigating climate change will involve the economic development of various countries and directly affect the modernization and sustainable development process of developing countries; On the other hand, the occurrence of abnormal weather events after the change of global climate pattern has brought different degrees of losses to the economies of various countries, including economic, social and ecological aspects.

In response to the adverse impact of climate change on mankind, the United Nations adopted a resolution to establish the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Framework Convention on Climate Change in 199. In May 1992, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee reached the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as the Convention) in new york, and it was signed by the participating countries during the Rio Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. The Convention entered into force on March 21, 1994. As of December 21, * * * 186 countries and the European Union have become parties to the Convention. China signed the Convention in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

in December p>1997, representatives from 16 countries in the world attended the meeting to implement the United nations framework convention on climate change adopted by the United nations in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and the participants were very anxious about the increasingly serious phenomenon of "greenhouse effect" on the earth. The meeting adopted the legally binding Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as the "Protocol"), and made specific emission reduction provisions for greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in 39 major industrialized countries (including the United States) listed in Annex I to the Protocol. The Protocol stipulates: ① During the period from 28 to 212, the greenhouse gas emissions of developed countries listed in Annex I should be reduced by at least 5% from the 199 level. (2) Providing new and additional financial and technical assistance to developing countries. (3) Strengthen international cooperation in scientific and technological research, promote the development and strengthening of China and help developing countries improve their ability to cope with climate change. Because the United States has the largest greenhouse gas emissions, in which carbon dioxide emissions account for a quarter of the total global emissions, the United States should cut 7%, the European Union 8%, Japan 6% and so on. At that time, representatives of the Clinton administration signed this important document. However, in March, 21, the Bush administration refused to approve the agreement on the grounds that it doubted the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide and other gases.

according to the provisions of the protocol, the agreement can take effect globally after it is formally ratified by more than 55 States parties. On February 16th, 25, the Kyoto Protocol came into effect. On August 13th, 25, 142 countries and regions around the world signed the Protocol. By the end of 28, more than 17 countries had signed the Kyoto Protocol. China signed the Protocol on 29 May 1998. At present, the vast majority of developed countries have made implementation plans, and the greenhouse gas emissions of Britain and Germany have decreased, but the greenhouse gas emissions of most developed countries are still rising steadily. The EU proposes that by 22, it will reduce 2% on the basis of 199. Even if other countries do not reduce, the EU will take unilateral action. If other countries take similar actions, the EU will consider reducing it to 3%. By 25, the EU hopes to reduce it by 5% ~ 6%. These indicators have been confirmed and approved by the EU Environment Ministers' Meeting and the European Parliament. Although the U.S. government has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, more than 2 states in the United States have formulated policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gases, taking practical actions to deal with climate change, and called on the federal government to issue and implement a bill to reduce greenhouse gases. In 25, the United States Senate passed the Senate's Opinions on Climate Change Resolution with 54 votes, which stipulated that mandatory global warming pollutant emissions should be set in the United States. The bill requires large American companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to the 199 level by 22, and then reduce their emissions by 3% ~ 5% by 25. California also passed the Global Greenhouse Effect Governance Act on August 31st, 26. On the evening of June 26th, 29, the US House of Representatives passed the Clean Energy and Security Act by a narrow margin of 219∶212. One of the contents of this bill is to set the total amount limit of carbon emission sources, which will be reduced by 17% by 22 and 8% by 25 compared with the emission level in 25. The emission reduction measures in the bill also include investment plans to prevent the deforestation of tropical rainforests and achieve important additional carbon emission reduction. Its purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and reduce the dependence of the United States on foreign oil.