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Spheres of Influence
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The Kyoto Protocol: Just A Lot Of Hot Air Charles W. Schmidt Abstract
Three years after it was negotiated by 150 countries in December 1997, the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, the first attempt to set internationally binding limits on the greenhouse gas emissions believed to contribute to global warming, is nearly as far from its goal as it was the day it was conceived. Only 24 countries have ratified the protocol so far, and these do not include any of the major powers that contribute the bulk of emissions worldwide. Developed countries, including the United States, have criticized the protocol because they feel it unfairly saddles them with the responsibility for emissions reductions while developing country requirements are considerably more lenient. But although the Kyoto Protocol itself faces a steep uphill battle in Congress, a majority of the public and scientific community believe that global warming is a real threat. Whether support for the theory of global warming among conservatives will have any influence on U.S. ratification of the Kyoto Protocol remains to be seen.
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