Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The United Kingdom was the only Western industrialised country to achieve a
signifi cant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of about 15% between 1990 and
2005. Carbon dioxide emissions went down by 6% due to the change from coal to
natural gas in some parts of the energy supply.
2.4.2 International Climate Policy
In 1979 the main theme at the fi rst UN conference on world climate in Geneva was
the threat to the earth's atmosphere. However, many special-interest representatives
had their doubts about the essence of the threat. So it was initially agreed that further
research would be needed before any particular measures could be considered.
In Rio de Janeiro in 1992 the members concluded for the fi rst time that measures
to protect the environment were now absolutely essential. The fi rst targets for reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emissions were then agreed in 1997 in what was referred to as
the Kyoto Protocol. Although these targets still do not go far enough, they have
succeeded in putting international pressure on countries to implement the measures
necessary to protect the climate.
The Kyoto Protocol
The fi rst world summit on climate, the UN Conference for Environment and
Development (UNCED), took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. One result of
the conference was the Climate Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
where the signatories made a commitment towards preventing dangerous anthropogenic
disruption to the climate system, slowing down global warming and lessening its
consequences.
This rather vague agreement was followed by the Kyoto Protocol, which was drawn up
in 1997 at the third conference of the treaty states of the UNFCCC in the Japanese city
of Kyoto. It obligates all the treaty parties listed in Figure 2.13 to reduce their emissions
of greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2% by 2012 at the latest. However, different
restrictions apply to individual states. The protocol actually allows certain countries,
such as Spain, Portugal, Greece and Australia, to increase their emissions. The EU states
should be able to achieve their targets together. This means that low-emitting EU states
can compensate for the high emissions of other EU states.
In addition to carbon dioxide (CO
2
), the following greenhouse gases are also being
considered and converted into carbon dioxide equivalents: methane (CH
4
), nitrous oxide
(laughing gas, N
2
O), partially halogenated chlorofl uorocarbons (CFC), perfl uorocarbons
(PFC) and sulphur hexafl uoride (SF
6
). Measures initiated in other countries can also be
counted as reductions. The Kyoto Protocol plans no restrictions for developing and
emerging countries. The Kyoto Protocol came into effect in 2005. The USA is the only
country that has not yet ratifi ed it.
Most industrialized nations have so far shown meagre results in their tackling of
climate warming. The only countries that have recorded defi nite reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions are those that were formerly in the Warsaw Pact. The
reason for this is due more to the economic upheavals of the 1990s than to a con-
