Stumbling Blocks Threaten Kyoto, Copenhagen

It is no secret that global community must act swiftly and decisively to curb carbon emissions and thus halt climate change. Originally, the Kyoto Protocol was one attempt to solve such problems, its many critics notwithstanding. Now the US and a small group of developed nations want to dismantle Kyoto and incorporate its best provisions into a new treaty to be drafted in Copenhagen. One reason for the move might be that rich countries, responsible for the greatest share of emissions over time, resent the fact that today’s most prolific polluters are not asked to meet the same stringent standards. But some fear that reworking Kyoto will only weaken demands on the richest countries, and that starting from scratch would set the world back years in curbing climate change. As the UN climate chief, Yvo de Boer, described things: “The world only had one pair of shoes to walk with at the moment, Kyoto, and it would be foolish to get rid of it.” – YaleGlobal