The Anagram Lover’s Tokyo is at it Again

By Sam Pollan, 14′

The Kyoto commitment period is ending very soon. Upcoming climate negotiations in Durban at the COP 17 conference will address this as one of the primary topics. Unfortunately, many skeptics have publicized their doubt of Durban discussions actually reaching conclusions. Canada, Japan, and the Russian Federation have all mentioned that they will not commit to any new Kyoto document. With those three major emitters absent from future Kyoto agreements, as well as the US being completely nonexistent in Kyoto delegations, the Protocol will be unable to achieve any significant reduction in climate change.

While the Kyoto Protocol may be down, it is certainly not out for the count. The EU and neighboring countries are indicating that they plan to continue some form of the 1997 agreement. This miniature pact has aptly been nicknamed the “kyotino” by delegates. While many people have previously accused the first period of Kyoto as near-pointless and outrageously ineffective, the “kyotino” will be sure to receive even more criticism.

If predictions are correct and preserving the Kyoto Protocol remains THE hot topic, yet only a small fraction of countries plan to commit, it begs the question: why even have a global conference? Certainly in Cancun the results were relatively positive when countries negotiated in smaller groups but remained accessible to the public. Due to the plethora of interests, though, the conferences often turn into a jumble of nearly 200 dissenting opinions. Several people have already hinted at the ineffectiveness of COP discussions. Perhaps smaller treaties could help achieve larger goals.

Estimates suggest that without immediate action on a drastic scale to reduce emissions, the planet will be in exponentially more trouble than it already is. Sources indicate that the Kyoto Protocol will not die off due to stern resistance by developing countries; however, its effectiveness is sure to diminish. With little hope to accomplish more than a symbolic, but hollow agreement to prevent dangerous climate change, perhaps it is time to embrace the change and turn efforts towards developing adaptation policies because we will certainly be in need of those.