The topic I have selected for my proposal/exploratory essay on the environment is the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is the first international agreement to fight global warming. It was signed by 141 nations, including all European and all other developed industrial nations except the US and Australia. The agreement has sparked debate, with parties on both sides disagreeing primarily over the effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol. Pros and Cons are abundant because of Grey areas within the binding agreement, which calls for countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the interest of slowing climate change.
One positive about the Protocol, is that its core principal is to work for the betterment of the entire planet, by ways of an international coalition. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is vital for the good of all life on the planet. With natural resources all but exhausted and machinery and methods of production still running on old and polluting practices, the necessity to search for cleaner sources of energy is something that the Kyoto Protocol Pros and Cons arguments do agree on. Something needs to be done for the better and soon.
But, there are some cons to this issue, because the Protocol fails to punish countries for not meeting emissions targets. Countries signed to the Kyoto Protocol are under no obligation to reach the targets set out for them, instead they only have to report the levels of their emissions and be seen to be implementing plans for future strategies against climate change. The level of Kyoto Protocol Pros and Cons vary, but this is one of the big sticking points over the effectiveness of the agreement. Another problem has been the cost of implementing green changes, with businesses suffering and having to pay higher taxes on commodities such as fuel.
