Global Warming and the Kyoto Treaty - 586 Words

Global Warming and the Kyoto Treaty Global warming is the increase in temperature of Earth’s atmosphere, and the Kyoto Treaty was made to reduce greenhouse gases, and have the climate that all living things have come to rely upon, back on track. After decades of ongoing research and debate, scientists have not been able to figure out what causes global warming. The only conclusion that has been made is the fact that greenhouse gases emitted by humans have led to deadly consequences. Thus, 189 United Nations member states have signed an agreement aimed at combating global warming. However, some countries have not ratified the treaty, leading to political dispute over global warming. Gases in the earth’s atmosphere help control Earth’s temperature. It all starts off with sunlight that is absorbed by land and water. The earth’s surface warms up and gives out energy called infrared radiation. The energy is eventually released back into space, and then trapped by greenhouse gases. It is important to remember that some greenhouse gases are needed, or else Earth would be too cold for plants and animals to live. The problem is extra carbon dioxide and other gases. As extra greenhouse gases trap more heat, the whole planet becomes warmer. As the greenhouse effect is stronger, Earth’s natural balance is upset. The problem is huge and happening only because greenhouse gases are overloading the atmosphere (epa.gov). It is unfortunate that humans are mainly responsible for globalShow MoreRelated Global Warming and the Kyoto Treaty Essay2786 Words   |  12 Pageseach. Unfortunately, the weather does not work that way. Hurricane Katrina alone may have cost one hundred billion dollars (Tucker 13). What could be causing these devastating storms? Many atmospheric scientists like Kerry Emanuel believe that global warming is the cause of the increased ferocity of the hurricanes (Nash 38). With the polar temperatures increasing the icecaps are melting. Without the ice to reflect the suns light, the water absorbs the heat. This creates a vicious cycle. The oceanRead MoreThe Kyoto Protocol Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pagespaper examines the Kyoto Protocol and the United States position on their participation in the Kyoto Protocol. To understand the underpinnings of the Kyoto Protocol one must agree that our planet is warming, and we (its citizens) are contributing to its warming. Any general argument abou t global warming has to address at least the following five questions: 1. Is global warming really occurring? 2. If global warming is occurring, are humans responsible for it? 3. If global warming is occurring, whatRead MoreKyoto Protocol And Its Effect On The Earth s Natural Cycles999 Words   |  4 Pages20th century, global changes were measurable. This marked the beginning of the â€Å"Anthropocene†, and era where human activity became a force affecting the Earth’s natural cycles. One of these changes is a global planetary warming, causing more frequent droughts or heavy rains depending on the locations, ice cap melting at the Earth’s poles and rising sea levels, triggered by the emission of massive amounts of man-made greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (Holland 2015). This warming impacts everyoneRead MoreGlobal Warming And The Kyoto Protocol1470 Words   |  6 Pagesthe global warming agenda and tackle the issues surrounding the Kyoto Protocol. The second part will look at climate change and the protocol from the respective lenses of realism and liberalism. I will argue that while none of the theories precisely covers the entirety of the issue, each provides helpful analysis falls short of clarifying the entire climate change picture. Can states cooperate effectively through the structure of the Kyoto protocol to solve an international problem of global warmingRead MoreGlobal Warming Is The Heating Of The Atmosphere870 Words   |  4 Pages Global warming is the heating of the atmosphere through the increase or surplus of greenhouse gases. Acting as a blanket trapping heat that would normally escape the Earth. These greenhouse gases are a result of excessive burning of fossil fuels, to fuel our technological dependent lives. This results in an increase in Earth’s average temperature which causes the melting of the polar ice caps, rising sea levels,longer and more damaging wildfire seasons,more frequent and intense heat waves, heavierRead MoreUnderlying Problems of the Kyoto Protocol1481 Words   |  6 PagesFor the past years, global warming and climate change became important issues of science and the environment. However, with the realization of the possible threats it poses to humankind in general, global warming gained international significance. Climate change is a global problem that requires a global response embracing the needs and interests of all countries (Boer, 2008). Countries around the world, convinced by the threats of the global warming, choose to act hand-in-hand to face to the issueRead MoreKyoto Protocol : Global Climate Change1146 Words   |  5 PagesKyoto’s Consequences After growing concern over global climate change, the Kyoto Protocol was proposed in 1997 and ratified in 2005. The protocol was created to address the issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, specifically aiming to reduce these emissions globally by giving each country specific goals and percentages of reduction by 2012 relative to 1990 GHG levels1. The need for a global policy stems from the systemic type of environmental problem being dealt with2. Although GHGs are createdRead MoreThe Kyoto Protocol: An Attempt to Manage Global Warming Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesThe Kyoto protocol is one of the most important treaties signed in contemporary days. It has great limitations and is yet to evolve to another level, but it addresses an issue that affects not one, two or ten countries – it affects the entire world. That is why countries have to work and cooperate to create a binding legal document that sets specific standards to greenhouse gas emissions. In recent decades we have witnessed a gradual change in our environment. Our planet is heating up very quicklyRead More Global Warming: Climate Change is Happening Now Essay1098 Words   |  5 PagesI believe the world is being faced with a serious issue of global climate change due to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring process in the Earths atmosphere that warms the planet. Without the greenhouse effect, on average, the Earths surface would be about 60oF colder. The greenhouse effect occurs when visible light from the sun passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the Earths surface. Some of that energy is then sent back to the atmosphere as heatRead MoreKyoto Protocol : A Global Problem917 Words   |  4 PagesKyoto Protocol: Introduction: 1. The problem of Global Warming has been one that has increased dramatically throughout the past 150 years. This is thought to be due to increased industrialisation throughout the world in this time and this is backed up by the fact that approximately 97%(NASA, n.d.) of scientists worldwide believe that it is strongly likely the increasing global climate is due to human activity. International cooperation is required in order to solve the problem of global warming