The Kyoto Protocol: The Causes And Cons Of Climate Change

In todays’ society, climate change is a hotly, political debated issue. In brief, climate change is the global or regional weather patterns usually associated with atmospheric carbon dioxide which is produced by the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil). Humans primarily burn fossil fuels to create and omit carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and provide energy for houses and office buildings. Most of the CO2 burned is created by automobiles, factories, and electrical power plants (Issues & Controversies 2). However, it does more than just create energy. The American Sociological Association (ASA) warns that climate change and the burning of fossil fuels may harm plants and animals that live in the sea, as well as cause drought, flooding,

This plan was created in 1997 ordering industrialized nations to drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that were released into the atmosphere (Issues & Controversies 3). The creators of the Kyoto accord asserted that, if developed nations obeyed the protocol and reduced pollution, the overall quality of the atmosphere would improve immensely. These actions were believed that it may even potentially slow or completely stop climate change (Issues & Controversies 3). More than 190 nations eventually signed the Kyoto Protocol, including the United States. However, the protocol caused several disagreements between what qualifies a nation as developed or developing. Under these policies, developing countries didn’t have to follow the strict pollution regulations that the industrialized, developed nations had to abide by. So, developing countries were basically free to release as much pollution and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Issues & Controversies 3). Since there was much room for conflict, in 2001 President George W. Bush withdrew the U.S. nation from the Kyoto Protocol and instead promoted “voluntary compliance”, where a private business is persuaded to limit their pollution but not required to do so (Issues & Controversies 4). To give an incentive to do so, the federal

The unrestrained burning of fossil fuels is polluting our atmosphere and causing drought, flooding, and billions of pounds of ice bergs melting into our worlds oceans causing them to rise. There are ways to solve climate change and ways it can be regulated. With the right regulations, climate change can be controlled and addressed correctly. If developed and developing nations both regulate their greenhouse gases omitted, it’ll reduce pollution and conserve our planet for years to