KYOTO, Japan, 17 February 2005 — The Kyoto Protocol, the landmark UN treaty on global warming, took effect yesterday after an agonizing gestation, supported by 141 nations but boycotted by the world’s biggest polluter, the United States.
Ceremonies took place in the ancient Japanese capital where, in 1997, countries set down the unprecedented goal of tackling climate-threatening pollution from fossil fuels, the power source of the world’s economy.
Seven years then followed of wrangling, a US walkout and foot-dragging over ratification — and during this time scientific evidence about the peril became mountainous.
Reflecting the mood of relief and caution, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called climate change “one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century.”
“By itself, the protocol will not save humanity from the dangers of climate change. So let us celebrate, but let us not be complacent,” Annan said in a videotaped message.
The protocol requires industrialized countries that have signed and ratified it to reduce or stabilize their emissions of six “greenhouse” gases, the principal of which is carbon dioxide.
These gases are mainly the byproduct of burning oil, gas and coal, the mainstay of energy since the Industrial Revolution.
The invisible pollution hangs in the atmosphere, trapping heat from the sun instead of letting it radiate back out to space. The warming may already be disrupting Earth’s delicate climate system, melting polar ice and glaciers and causing droughts, floods and storms.
Thirty-four industrialized countries have so far ratified the Kyoto Protocol; two others (Monaco and Croatia) have yet to follow suit; and two more — the United States and Australia, together accounting for some 30 percent of total emissions — have refused to do so. Their argument is that the treaty, by requiring greater fuel efficiency and a conversion to cleaner sources, is too costly for their economy.
They also claim the deal is unfair, because fast-growing developing countries like India and China do not face targeted emission controls.
Green groups reacted with joy as Kyoto finally took effect after Russia tipped the accord over a ratification threshold in November, transforming the draft into an international treaty 90 days later.
More than 300 environmental activists marched through Kyoto under persistent rain to celebrate the start of the pact, with some dressed as monkeys or penguins or wearing mock tiger ears to highlight global warming’s impact on wildlife. Greenpeace staged colorful protests in half a dozen other cities, including a raucous demonstration that delayed the start of trading in London’s International Petroleum Exchange.
In political reactions, a common view yesterday was that the protocol was only a small first step and that it was now vital to get the United States and China, the two biggest polluters, to take action on their emissions.
The European Union (EU), which rescued the protocol after the US walkout in 2001, pointedly hailed Kyoto’s enactment as a sign of what could be achieved by working together. “Climate change is a threat not only to our environment, but also to our security,” EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in a statement issued in Brussels.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said climate change “is going to cause difficulty, if not catastrophe” in 30 or 40 years.
He pledged he would renew efforts to coax the United States “back into dialogue and put China and India alongside that.”
German Environment Minister Juergen Trittin, also in a videotaped address, scolded the United States, noting that US carbon pollution was, per capita, two and a half times that of Europe, which had equivalent living standards.
