In 1997, 39 of the world's richest countries agreed to curb greenhouse-gas emissions at the Kyoto Climate Change Conference. (The Economist, 11/09/2006)
Sep 11th 2006
From Economist.com
Global temperatures and sea levels seem to be rising, but whether this is mankind's or nature's fault is unclear. Environmentalists point to a build-up of greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, dairy farming and other human activities. The result is that a growing number of governments and businesses are becoming more environment-minded.
In 1997, 39 of the world's richest countries agreed to curb greenhouse-gas emissions at the Kyoto Climate Change Conference. But the resulting Kyoto Protocol, enacted in February 2005, will have little impact because it does not require developing countries to cut their emissions, and because America is not a party to it. The future of climate negotiations may lie in controversial new markets developed to commoditise both clean air and the right to pollute it.
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