Kyoto Protocol winds down as delegates head to Doha
<p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="Kyoto">Kyoto</span> <span word="Protocol">Protocol</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="set">set</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="expire">expire</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="few">few</span> <span word="weeks">weeks</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="replacement">replacement</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="debated">debated</span> <span word="during">during</span> <span word="next">next</span> <span word="week">week</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="talks">talks</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Qatar">Qatar</span>. <span word="However">However</span>, <span word="few">few</span> <span word="observers">observers</span> <span word="believe">believe</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="deal">deal</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="struck">struck</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Doha">Doha</span>. <span word="Henry">Henry</span> <span word="Ridgwell">Ridgwell</span> <span word="looks">looks</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="on">on</span> 15 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Kyoto">Kyoto</span> <span word="Protocol">Protocol</span>.</p><p><span word="As">As</span> <span word="delegates">delegates</span> <span word="from">from</span> 190 <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="head">head</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="Doha">Doha</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="try">try</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="forge">forge</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="deal">deal</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="tackling">tackling</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="warming">warming</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Kyoto">Kyoto</span> <span word="Protocol">Protocol</span> - <span word="signed">signed</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1997 - <span word="is">is</span> <span word="due">due</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="expire">expire</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="end">end</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="year">year</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span> <span word="deal">deal</span> <span word="sets">sets</span> <span word="binding">binding</span> <span word="targets">targets</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="industrialized">industrialized</span> <span word="countries">countries</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="reduce">reduce</span> <span word="greenhouse">greenhouse</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="emissions">emissions</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="average">average</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="five">five</span> <span word="percent">percent</span> <span word="from">from</span> 1990 <span word="levels">levels</span>.</p><p><span word="By">By</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="measures">measures</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="failed">failed</span>, <span word="says">says</span> <span word="Dieter">Dieter</span> <span word="Helm">Helm</span>, <span word="Professor">Professor</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Energy">Energy</span> <span word="Policy">Policy</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="Oxford">Oxford</span> <span word="University">University</span>.</p><p>“<span word="The">The</span> <span word="Kyoto">Kyoto</span> <span word="Protocol">Protocol</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="virtually">virtually</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="difference">difference</span> <span word="whatsoever">whatsoever</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="growth">growth</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="emissions">emissions</span>. <span word="Back">Back</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1990 <span word="they">they</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="going">going</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="parts">parts</span> <span word="per">per</span> <span word="million">million</span>, <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="going">going</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="three">three</span> (<span word="parts">parts</span> <span word="per">per</span> <span word="million">million</span>),” <span word="Helm">Helm</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p><p><span word="Helm">Helm</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="main">main</span> <span word="flaw">flaw</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Kyoto">Kyoto</span> <span word="Protocol">Protocol</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="covers">covers</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fraction">fraction</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="total">total</span> <span word="emissions">emissions</span>, <span word="because">because</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="West">West</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="already">already</span> <span word="de">de</span>-<span word="industrializing">industrializing</span></p><p>“<span word="We">We</span> <span word="should">should</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="taxing">taxing</span> <span word="carbon">carbon</span> <span word="consumption">consumption</span>, <span word="including">including</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="carbon">carbon</span> <span word="imports">imports</span> - <span word="so">so</span> <span word="putting">putting</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="price">price</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="carbon">carbon</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="really">really</span> <span word="pay">pay</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="carbon">carbon</span> <span word="footprint">footprint</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="West">West</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="around">around</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span>,” <span word="Helm">Helm</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p><p><span word="Despite">Despite</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="continuing">continuing</span> <span word="rise">rise</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="harmful">harmful</span> <span word="emissions">emissions</span>, <span word="Ruth">Ruth</span> <span word="Davis">Davis</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Greenpeace">Greenpeace</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Kyoto">Kyoto</span> <span word="Protocol">Protocol</span> <span word="remains">remains</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="vital">vital</span> <span word="tool">tool</span>.</p>
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