• Home
• /
• Opinion

Beyond Kyoto?

IN A surprising move, six leading and emerging nations of the world have come together in a pact that is being described as "Beyond Kyoto" vision. The US has taken the lead in unveiling the new initiative that includes China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Although environment groups have criticised the move as the new pact unlike the Kyoto Protocol will not be binding and mandatory in nature.

However, the new treaty is promising in that it has roped in the US, which has so far refused to join the Kyoto environment protection treaty and questioned the very premise of the argument that human activities are affecting our environment. The US involvement in the new environment protection initiative is also crucial because the superpower is responsible for the green house gasses directly contributing to global warming. That is why any initiative that has the backing of America needs to be welcomed.

The Asia-Pacific environment initiative need not be seen as undermining the more universal and effective Kyoto Protocol. The Asia-Pacific initiative could complement the Kyoto. The signatories of the new initiative account for 45 per cent of the world’s population and 48 per cent — almost half — of global gas emissions or pollutants. Even if these six nations seriously pursue the ambitious environment protection goals enshrined in the treaty, they could, between themselves, cut the global pollutants by half.