What is being done? The Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. It was founded at The United Nations Conference on Climate Change who meet regularly to discuss the problems the planet is facing.
The Convention entered force on 21 March 1994, and was signed by 165 states in two years. 100 of these states are legally bound by it to reduce the emission of gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which are thought to contribute to global warming.
The protocol is based on co-operation. As a columnist in The Guardian newspaper puts it "Cutting greenhouse gases is as optional as breathing" but many countries are not quite realising what's at stake. Some countries are seeing the targets as optional, and the US has pulled out altogether (An average American citizen is responsible for around 20 times the carbon dioxide emissions of a person from India, and 300 times that of someone from Mozambique!).
The aim is for industrialised countries to reduce emissions by five per cent below 1990 levels, with further reductions to be agreed in 2012. Friends of the Earth think that they are aiming too low and that they should be looking at reducing emissions by as much as 80% to prevent dangerous climate change.
To find out more about the Kyoto protocol try these websites:
