Assessment of the Canadian governments decison to abandon the 'Kyoto accord' on climate change

ASSESSMENT OF THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT'S DECISON TO ABANDON THE "KYOTO ACCORD" ON CLIMATE CHANGE
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Introduction
The Kyoto accord or protocol is an international treaty initiated by the UN convention on climate change. The accord requires that its signatories sett targets which aim to bind green house gas emission reduction in the atmosphere. This accord was established under the recognition that nations are chiefly responsible for the increased level of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a consequence of more than 150 years of industrial operations in global perspectives. The accord places a commitment burden especially on nations that are developed under the policy of common but differentiated responsibilities (Wigley, 2006).
The Kyoto accord/protocol was established in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. It was fully enforced in 2005. Exclusive regulations for the accord’s implementation were adapted at COP 7 in 2007, Marrakesh, Morocco. In fact, it is referred to as “Marrakesh Accord”. The first commitment period began in 2008 and was finalized in 2012. During this time, more than 37 developed countries backed by the European community were committed to ensuring that the GHG emissions were reduced to five percent, in comparison to those realized in 1990. In the second period of commitment, nations were devoted to reducing the green house gas emissions by at least 18% lower than the figures realized in 1990s. This is an eighth year program expected to span from 2013 to and end in 2020. However, countries that participated in the second commitment period were different to those in the first (UNFCCC 1997).
Under the accord, the parties are expected to meet their targets basically through national measures. However, the accord also gives them other means of meeting their targets by the mechanisms that are market based. They include: joint implementation mechanisms, clean development mechanisms, and international emission trading. The Kyoto accord was also established to help nations to adapt to the impact of climatic change (UNFCCC 1997)
Canada and Kyoto Accord
Canada was one of the active parties which led to the establishment of Kyoto protocol. The Canadian government also ratified the accord in 2002. The government’s GHG reduction target under this accord was 6% decrease by 2012 in comparison to 1997 figures. However, the government was incapable of meeting this target and interestingly, its green house emissions increased to 24.1% instead (NFCCC 2011). Towards the end of 2011, the ministry of environment in Canadian announced the country’s withdrawal from the Kyoto accord just after a negotiation by other parties in the Kyato accord. The negotiations were supposed to be a binding one that targets all nations. In her arguments, the Canadian government claimed that the Kyoto accord did not cover the world’s largest emitters, China and America. Therefore, she could not...