Paris Agreement/COP21
Categories: International, Econ
First there was the Kyoto Protocol 1997, and then there was the Paris Agreement in 2016. Both are international agreements to do something about emitting less carbon and gases. Both are noted as reflections of hesitation to cut fuel in the international community, since cutting fuel means sacrificing GDP.
The Kyoto Protocol set specific, legally binding targets for reducing carbon output. The U.S. was notably absent from the Kyoto Protocol; we signed but never ratified it. Imagine that sinking feeling when someone stands you up...that’s basically what the U.S. did with the Kyoto Protocol. Coming from the U.S., one of the top carbon emitters, felt particularly face-smacking. The Kyoto Protocol really differentiated between high-emission and low-emission countries.
How does the Paris Agreement (also named COP21 since it was signed at COP21, the 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)) compare to the Kyoto Protocol? The Paris Agreement is more about getting countries on board together, so it’s much more voluntary and less authoritative and binding than Kyoto.
The Paris Agreement aimed to get global warming below two degrees Celsius, which is what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said would be cool to do.
Since the top-down strategy of the Kyoto “Protocol” didn’t work so well, the Paris “Agreement” is taking another approach. Countries can pick their own emissions targets, and the line between high-emitting and low-emitting countries is more relaxed than it is in the Kyoto Protocol. The Paris Agreement asks countries to step up and be not-horrible, since the whole world is watching. Nothing like good ol’ political peer pressure to get countries to emit less carbon.
With the friendly nature of the Paris Agreement, the U.S. did join it, but conveniently didn’t set any emission targets for itself. Cue eye rolls from the rest of the world. Everyone on board is supposed to do their own emission mitigation however they want. Meanwhile, the Netherlands is busy banning the sale of petrol and diesel-powered cars illegal by 2025, and is on track to cut much more in emissions than the Paris Agreement would need them to. So, yeah. Everyone’s handling it differently.
