The Kyoto Protocol
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), meets for high-level, international climate negotiations. Most commonly known, the Kyoto Protocol emerged out of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) in 1998, through which 183 countries have agreed to reduce emissions to at or below 1990 levels. Each year, delegations from each member country gather to debate and clarify the details and merits of a world-changing agreement. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, so country delegates have been working over the last few years to develop a new agreement.
Our Opportunity for a New Agreement at Cop15
The next UNFCCC meeting, COP15, takes place December 7-19, 2009 in Copenhagen, where there is high hopes that we will enter into a new international climate treaty. A new agreement is critical because the U.S. did not ratify Kyoto Protocol and China did not agree to any specific emissions reduction targets. Without the world’s largest GHG emitter and the world fastest growing economy participating, there is little hope for the effectiveness of the treaty. With the climate bill that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives this June, and continued conversations between the U.S. and China, there is growing evidence that the U.S. and China will enter into the new international agreement in Copenhagen, and we as young people need to make it loud and clear that they must.
Our Role
The U.S. government must make strong commitments at the federal level before our leaders will be able to enter into an international agreement. Join us this fall to urge our elected officials to support a climate bill that protects the world’s forests.
The Power of Youth
There has been a strong international youth delegation at these negotiations since the 2005 Conference of Parties (COP) in Montreal. Youth delegates have shaken up the system both within the talks and outside the gates helping to bring hope to the negotiations and remind those inside the importance of seeking agreements that not only cut carbon, but also seek justice and equity. In December 2008, more than 500 youth delegates from around the world attended COP14 in Poznan, Poland. In December 2009, we expect even more young people ready to represent the interests of all future generations.
