What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol has been an important step in the fight against climate change, as the obligations imposed on countries are concretized with numerical limit values. However, the fact that the USA, which is the first country with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, remained outside the protocol in the second responsibility period, and the second country, China, and the fifth country, India, did not sign the protocol, creating a big problem. The responsibilities of countries where emissions are limited have been alleviated through flexibility mechanisms. In addition, the lack of clarity on the sanctions that countries will face in case of non-compliance with the obligation weakens the protocol in combating climate change.

The target of the Kyoto protocol, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5%, was determined through harsh negotiations rather than scientific studies. While small island states advocated a 20% reduction target, the European Union first proposed a 15% reduction target until 2010, then abandoned this rate and advocated a 7.5% reduction target by 2005, while Japan believed that only a 2.5% reduction target would be sufficient. In negotiations, countries can be divided into four groups, taking into account their attitudes and positions. The first of these is the US government, which does not want to reach an agreement even though it has the most historical responsibility for the climate change problem. The second are European countries that want an agreement that is strong but will not impose too much economic burden on them. The third group is the poor and developing countries, who want developed and rich countries to take action against the problem, but do not want them to be held responsible for preventing their economic growth. The fourth and last group consists of small island countries such as Tuvalu and the Maldives. These countries face the risk of their lands being completely submerged in a short time. For this reason, they want a global intervention to the climate change problem as soon as possible.

The biggest problem with these agreements is that the countries causing climate change have a greater say in the preparation of the agreements than the countries that will be affected by climate change. The most important step to take for a healthier fight against climate change is to create agreements in which these countries are more active in the preparation phase, taking into account the extent to which countries are affected by climate change. Thus, the solution of international problems can come before the national interests of developed countries.