Involving Developing Countries in the Kyoto Agreement

The long-term success of the Kyoto agreement will also depend on involving the developing world, especially the fast industrializing countries such as China and Brazil.

Involving Developing Countries in the Kyoto Agreement Male: Kyoto’s long term success will also depend on involving the developing world especially the fast industrializing countries such as China and Brazil. The cars, homes, fields and factories of the developing world could be contributing half of all the greenhouse gas emissions in little more than two decades from now. But even the three out of four people lived outside the industrialized countries that are still a modest contribution. The problem is that the Kyoto protocol won’t become law until it’s being ratified by at least 55 governments and to be effective the United States has to be one of them. Ratification may not be easy. The US Senate must be in favor before the agreement can come into force in the United States. Many senators who are backed by American big industry are skeptical of Kyoto. They say there will be no ratification until the China’s, India’s and Brazil’s agreed to curb their emissions as well. Rajenda K. Pachauri: Well, I shouldn’t sound cynical but I think the US is making what you have necessity. They realized that they would not be able to get any kind of protocols to the current US Congress. So, it’s committed to sort of treat the developing countries or the developing body. Rafe Pomerance: If we don’t see the developing world taking on the same of commitments that we have, we have to take into account level of development to the amount of emissions and within the group of countries that has not actually taken on the type of developed country commitments there was a huge range of income and ability. Male: Take China, why it asks should a country still struggling to meet the needs of one-sixth of the world’s population be constrained by environmental targets, which the western world did not have to contend with at a similar stage in its economic development. It’s an argument that’s readily understandable to people likely Li Ang. He works in a paper mill in the city of Guangzhou. Li Ang: All industry in every country pollutes. But our industry first has to grow and gets firm. That’s when we will be able to worry about pollution control. Male: With the Europeans as intermediaries, it’s possible that the big industrializing countries may strike a deal with the United States. They will agree to bring their emissions right down at some point in the future if America lets them limit their emissions to a specified number of tons carbon per person. Rajenda K. Pachauri: If you look at the defense in per capita emissions between India and the US, you're talking about 30 or 40 times. It’s also important to remember that it’s not today’s emissions, which are responsible for the problem of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. This is a cumulative problem. Michael Meacher: I think for the most powerful country in the world, a world leader country that likes to say it’s social responsible that has agreed formally at Kyoto, legally binding agreement for them now to walk away and wash their hands of this matter when they are responsible for the culture of the worst emissions and then at1/25 of the population. That seems to make things conceivable.