Kyoto Protocol news stories on Newser

Canada Slammed for Kyoto Pullout

Mark Russell — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:57:00 CST

Countries and environmentalist groups around the world are slamming Canada for pulling out of the Kyoto climate treaty on Monday, reports the Guardian . "Preposterous" and "an excuse to shirk responsibility," was how the withdrawal was described by China, the world's largest carbon dioxide producer . The UN climate chief was more...

Canada Drops Kyoto Accord

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:43:41 CST

Canada's environment minister said today his country is pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Peter Kent said that Canada is invoking its legal right to withdraw and said Kyoto doesn't represent the way forward for Canada or the world. Canada, joined by Japan and Russia, said last...

Deal Cut at UN Climate Talks

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:43:54 CST

A UN climate conference reached a hard-fought agreement today on a complex and far-reaching program meant to set a new course for the global fight against climate change for the coming decades. The 194-party conference agreed to start negotiations on a new accord that would put all countries under the...

Cancun Climate Talks: A Decent Step Forward

John Johnson — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:20:20 CST

The climate talks in Cancun are over, and the assessments seem to fall into the modest-but-better-than-expected range, mainly because they set the stage for future talks. Monsters and Critics has highlights here , including a goal by the nearly 200 participating nations to limit the rise in world temperatures to 2...

Copenhagen Summit a Face-off Between US, China

Kevin Spak — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:31:04 CST

The Copenhagen talks are starting to look like an economic face-off between Washington and Beijing, with the US concerned by China’s growing footprint and China accusing the US of not living up to its responsibilities. Nearly half the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years will...

New Proposals Boost Hopes of Copenhagen Deal

Nick McMaster — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:00:00 CST

New draft proposals at the Copenhagen summit have renewed optimism that negotiators will find consensus on a substantial deal. One plan would renew and extend the Kyoto protocol—this time, presumably, with a US endorsement—which is set to expire in 2012. Another draft proposal, framed as a "Kyoto companion"...

Biofuel Laws Make No Sense: Scientists

Kevin Spak — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:18:51 CDT

Biofuel laws around the world actually encourage harming the environment, prominent scientists argue in the latest issue of Science . Under the Kyoto Treaty, in laws throughout Europe, and in the bill that passed the US House, biofuels count as carbon-neutral, on the theory that the plants the fuel is made...

Coal Harms the Planet —and Owns the Senate

Jason Farago — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:32:55 CDT

As the world turns to Copenhagen this December, the US, which never ratified the Kyoto Protocol, may once again fail to sign up to save the world from serious climate change. Ideology plays a part, Jeffrey Sachs notes, as many Republican senators are "intent on derailing any Obama initiative." But...

Airlines Pledge to Halve Emissions by 2050

Jason Farago — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:28:00 CDT

The airline industry is pledging to cut carbon emissions by 50% in 2050, reports the Guardian, in a reluctant concession meant to stave off more dramatic action—but one that will likely increase fares and trigger a race for new, greener technology . The plan will be presented at the UN...