Transcript Kyoto Protocol - muhlsdk12.org

Kyoto Protocol
Protocol = an original draft or record of a
document, negotiation etc.
Objectives/Student-Friendly
Learning Targets:
 Students will…
 Discuss the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol and construct an
argument either for or against U.S. ratification of the
document.
What?
 Amendment to an international treaty on climate change
Objective:
 To stabilize greenhouse gas levels to slow down global
warming
How?
 Assign mandatory emissions limitations for the reduction of greenhouse
gases to signatory nations
 Reductions based on 1990 emissions
 Amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 20% since
1990 and the ten hottest years on record have occurred since 1990
 Each country being asked to reduce its emissions to a certain percent
below its 1990 levels so that by the end of the first commitment period
combined emissions have been reduced to 5% below 1990 levels
 Countries develop their own strategies to meet their targets
 Failure to reach target results in consequences
 Countries that cut more GHGs than necessary can sell emissions to other
countries that are struggling with reductions (emissions trading program)
 Governed by global legislation under the U.N.
When?
 Opened for signatures 1997
 Entered into force 2005
 First commitment period 2008-2012
Who?
 Two general categories:
 Annex I
 Developed countries who have accepted greenhouse gas emissions
reduction obligations and must submit an annual greenhouse gas
inventory to show progress; must reduce emissions by a collective average
of 5% below 1990 levels
 NonAnnex I
 Developing countries who have no greenhouse gas emissions reduction
obligations
Developed vs. Developing?
 Developed Countries:
 Higher standard of living
 High degree of manufacturing and industry
 Only small percentage of the population is engaged in the
production of food
 Developing Countries:
 Lower standard of living
 Working towards industrialization
 Most of the population is engaged in the production of food
The United States?
 A signatory
 BUT has not ratified the agreement NOR withdrawn!
 The signature alone is symbolic, but non-binding unless ratified
 The U.S. wants to combat climate change but does not think the Kyoto
Protocol is the right way to do so
 The U.S. is the only developed country that has not ratified the treaty
The United States?
Should the U.S. ratify the Kyoto Protocol or is it best that
they have not?
Select three arguments in favor of your position and write down the topic sentence
and supporting details for each.
Take note of arguments in favor of the opposing position in order to complete a
thoughtful rebuttal.
= argument for why the U.S. should NOT ratify
= argument for why the U.S. SHOULD ratify
WHY
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 1. Established not by science, but by political negotiation and
is arbitrary and ineffective
 It is a scheme to slow the growth of the world’s industrial
democracies or to transfer wealth to the Third World
 Should have a more scientific, comprehensive plan
Note:
The theory of anthropogenic, or humancaused climate change is supported by 98%
of actively publishing climate scientists!
WHY
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 2. Global warming is a challenge for the world
 Do not support split between Annex 1 and other countries
 Not just one or some countries contributing to global warming
 It must be as comprehensive as possible and incorporate as
many countries as possible
 Some developing countries emit more greenhouse gasses than
developed ones
 China and India are completely exempt but are two of the top
five emitters of greenhouse gasses
China:
 China is building on average one coal-fired power plant every
week
 70% of energy in China comes from coal which is very dirty
 China is the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide
 China has 7 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world
 Even though China is 3,000 miles away, it is polluting American
cities and parks on the West Coast
 Transportation is the greatest pollutant in U.S. and China but
China does not control emissions for cars
WHY
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 3. Negative impact on the global economy
 Costs outweigh the benefits and put strain on economy
 Efforts to combat global warming must be voluntary and based
on free market solutions with market based incentives to spur
innovation and environmental conservation
 U.S. is committed to investing heavily in R & D and
encouraging private companies to do the same
 It is no country’s best interest to sacrifice their or the U.S.’s
economic growth, which would have adverse effects around the
world
WHY
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 4. Global warming is a scientific theory/myth not fact
 Weather patterns change
 Warming is a natural part of a process of climate change that
takes place over thousands of years
 Earth naturally warms and cools and has been warming since
the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago
Why
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 5. 1990 Base Line is unfair
 Countries have different achievements in energy efficiency
 Former Soviet Union and eastern European countries had worst
levels in 1990
 Have since become more energy efficient
 Will not be difficult to reach target
 Could easily make additional reductions allowing them to profit from sale of
emissions
 A number of countries would reap huge windfall gains not based on
actual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but rather, because of
external factors making baseline emission quotas inappropriate
WHY
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 6. Local and state governments are participating
 As of August 2007, 663 cities in the 50 states representing 72 million
Americans support the protocol
 State level emissions capping and trading program in January 2007
included 8 Northeastern states involved in a Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative representing 46 million Americans
 National government does not need to take action because local and
state governments have already done so
Jan 1, 2013 = California, the most populous state in the U.S.
and the 9th biggest economy in the world, launched a carbon
cap-and-trade system (auctioned carbon permits), establishing
a declining limit on the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions. CA
has legally committed itself to reducing its carbon emissions
to 1990 levels by 2020!
(CA currently responsible for 1% of global emissions.)
WHY
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 7. Cost of actually implementing it
Why
Has the U.S. Not Ratified the Protocol?
 8. Does not provide a long-term solution to global warming
 World will still be contributing to global warming even if all
developed countries ratify
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 1. Industrialized countries created problem we have now and
should fix it
 Grew rich from industrialization and should now pay for it
 China, India and other developing countries were not included
in any numerical limitation because they were not the main
contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions during the
industrialization period that is believed to be causing today’s
climate change
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 2. Cannot deny developing countries the same rights we
enjoyed and took advantage of
 Cannot now tell developing countries that we the industrial
nations of the world have used up the ability of the atmosphere
to hold carbon dioxide so you cannot put anymore in
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 3. Developing countries cannot afford to follow protocol
 Need money for public services and to build industry and
business
 Developing countries need to grow their industries and cannot
restrict growth by reducing emissions
 Emerging industries help pull people out of poverty and create
a higher standard of living
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 4. U.S. will pay heavy price if sea levels continue to rise so we cannot
afford not to do something about it
 Scientists say taking action can prevent sea level rise from becoming even
worse
 1 meter increase = 25,000 sq. miles underwater
 Would have to abandon low-lying areas, build barriers, or raise the elevation
of buildings
 Serious public health risk from rising salt water tainting drinking water wells
 Protecting America’s coastlines could run well into the billions and not all
spots could be saved
 Will have more impact on the population and infrastructure than anything
else
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 5. U.S. is the 3rd most populous nation and we need to lead
by example
 We export a lifestyle other countries want to emulate
 American child will consume and pollute over a lifetime more
than 30 children born in India
 U.S. uses more resources than any other nation
 U.S. generates ¼ greenhouse gasses contributing to global
warming
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 6. China has the world’s largest population so it will emit
more pollution
 Population of China is four times larger than that of the U.S.
 China may have become the largest emitter of carbon dioxide
however per capita emissions in the U.S. are much higher than
those in China which shows that people in the U.S. enjoy a
higher standard of living and confirms that China is still in the
process of development
Why
Should the U.S. Ratify the Protocol?
 7. China just wants what America already has
 Kusnet Curve will eventually come into play in China
 Pollution will drop when a population demands a cleaner, healthier
environment once it achieves a certain standard of living
China Looking Ahead…
 Five year programs…
 Have been implemented by the government since 1981
 Have been meant to modernize the economy and produce more goods for export
 Guidelines for current five year program (2011-15):
 Promote strategic industries and scientific research (want to see people put to
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work doing things that benefit the environment – creating green energy
technology, researching green energy sources, etc)
Shrink the income gap between rural and urban areas
Invest $15 billion in farmland to boost farmers’ incomes
Increase consumer spending by raising minimum wages and controlling inflation
Reduce the release of major pollutants and increase use of renewable energy
China Looking Ahead…
 In 2010, China spent more than any other nation on clean energy
research ($54.4 billion)
 Already a world leader in the use of wind power
 About to spend $300 billion on science and technology (Sept. 2011)
 Will train 2,000 scientists to do research in the field of fusion energy, a form
of nuclear energy (fusion = the cleanest, most abundant source of energy
imaginable!)
 Excellent education creates many candidates for research positions
China Looking Ahead…
 In March 2011, China’s government announced its support for
developing a whole new cluster of leading-edge industries – wants to
switch from old, energy-guzzling industries to newer, greener ones!
 Information technology
 Manufacture of energy-saving cars
 Will spend half a trillion dollars
 Government is dividing the nation into 53 zones – each will receive its
own guideline for a greener economic expansion and/or conservation
China:
 China has started to take action to combat global warming –
may actually “out green” the U.S.!
 India has also signaled that it wants to be active on climate
change
 Does this put more pressure than ever on the U.S.?
Immanuel Kant
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same
time will that it should become a universal law.”
 Before doing anything, you need to imagine everyone else doing the
same thing and it still being okay!
 Kant called this the ultimate moral dictum.
 Examples:
 Telling kids not to pick “just one flower” because if everyone did it,
there’d be no flowers left.
 Telling students that they should not litter “just one candy wrapper” as
this could lead to an environmental disaster.
Conclusion:
 Tug of war between those in charge of the economy and
environmentalists!
vs
Selfish Environmentalism
 Companies are starting to turn green in service to their bottom line!
 Financial Gains
 executives around the world are becoming aware that ecological
degradation has the potential to put their businesses at risk
 Reputational Gains
 companies want to make themselves look good by giving the appearance
of caring for the environment
Selfish Environmentalism
 Reputational Gains:
 Coca-Cola, the global beverage giant, became
entangled in a controversy over its water use at a
bottling plant in India
 Nearby villagers held the company responsible for
a dramatic drop in the level of the region’s
groundwater
 Demonstrations caught the attention of
environmental activists resulting in negative
publicity and protests and boycotts at college
campuses across the U.S. and Europe
 Was at a time when the company was expanding
its pure-water products like mineral water
Selfish Environmentalism
 Financial Gains
 Coca-Cola’s fortunes are tied to the environment
as water is the main ingredient in most of its
products
 Operates in all but 3 countries
 Now maintains a database combining water-flow
data with predictions of population growth,
economic development and climate change, giving it
an idea of the challenges its various plants can expect
to face in the coming century
 All of its facilities must now map out a water plan, to
understand where their supply comes from and what
they can do to protect it
Selfish Environmentalism
 Financial Gain
 For Starbucks, government restrictions on
carbon emissions are nothing compared
with the threat that global warming could
pose to the company’s primary product,
the climate-sensitive Arabica coffee bean.
 Already, the company’s small-scale
suppliers have complained about changing
weather patterns that have begun to disrupt
their yields
 Warm winters have unleashed pest infestations
 Earlier rainy seasons threaten to drown their
crops
 Stronger storms are wreaking havoc in the fields
Selfish Environmentalism
 When it comes to the environment, sometimes it’s still money that
makes the most convincing case.
 A coalition of companies (including Starbucks, Nike, Timberland &
Levi Strauss) have lobbied the federal government to take action to
reverse climate change.
 “Our goal in Washington is to raise awareness of elected officials that not
everybody in the business community opposes legislation on climate
change.”
Tier 2 Vocabulary:
pollution, fossil fuel, global warming, climate change,
emissions, developed country, developing country, standard
of living, economist, environmentalist
Tier 3 Vocabulary:
greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, Kyoto Protocol, Annex I,
Non-Annex I, India
Objectives/Student-Friendly
Learning Targets:
 Students will…
 Discuss the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol and construct an
argument either for or against U.S. ratification of the
document.
Essential Questions:
 What are the innumerable opportunities and freedoms students are lucky enough
to enjoy on a daily basis living in the United States?
 What are the innumerable challenges and dangers some individuals and/or groups
around the world experience on a daily basis?
 How is diversity evident in all of its many facets within the United States and across
the globe?
 How have industrialization, urbanization and technological advancements
precipitated the global economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century?
 How has technology eliminated political, physical and cultural boundaries of the
past and made the world a smaller, more interdependent place?