Environmental Management for Sustainable Development

Environmental Management for Sustainable Development
3/16/2019

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 1
Environmental Management for Sustainable Development
The relationship between environmental management, individual wellbeing, and economic
progress is a complex procedure, influencing the sustainability and quality of society. The
understanding of the general public, as well as environmentalists, is increasing regarding the
interrelationship of these three areas. In the past, the ecosystem of the world was capable to
engross the ecological harm ensuing from widespread development and industrialization
(Goosen, 2012). Though, with the fast growth in the worldwide population and
industrialization, the available natural resources like water, soil, etc. the earth is no longer
capable to manage a balanced and healthy ecosystem. The intent of this paper is to discuss
the role of the different protocol implemented and their success in improving the way climate
change is addressed. The paper is majorly based on the discussion of the Kyoto Protocol and
the Paris Agreement have addressed climate change.
Part 1
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is one of the international treaty that is covered in the United Nations
Framework Convention of 1992 on Climate Change that obligates parties of the state to work
towards declining the emission of the greenhouse gases, depending on the scientific accord
that global warming is increasing and it is probable that CO2 emission made by human have
mainly instigated it. In Kyoto, Japan, the Kyoto Protocol was approved, in 1997 and came
into existence in 2005. There are around 192 parties linked with this protocol (United Nations
Climate Change, 2019c).

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2
Role of Kyoto Protocol in addressing Climate Change
Increasing issues related to the environment was seen as a major challenge in the 90s for the
worldwide political structure. Numerous numbers of countries had become completely
developed and were instigating extensive pollution and environmental degradation. The
greenhouse gas emission had risen. Considering all these issues, the United Nations started to
work on different techniques that would control the pollution and fix the limitations for every
nation in terms of greenhouse gas emission. All these concepts were the portion of the UN’s
Convention on Climate Change (Conserve Energy Future, 2019).
The nature of the Kyoto Protocol treaty is that the industrialized countries have distinct and
requisite targets, whereas the emerging countries are mandatory to decrease their emissions.
Industrialized countries are permitted some level of freedom, but have to fix quotas of their
trading between each other or by supporting emerging countries in decreasing their
emissions. The industrialized nations can support the emerging nations in binding renewable
energy sources, declining deforestation and discovering techniques to create energy-efficient
infrastructure (Climate Connection Change, 2016). Here the role of the Kyoto Protocol is to
permit growth and development but not at an environmental cost that comes with it.
The Kyoto Protocol has even experienced a few issues. The issue that has always been the
portion of the treaty, since its establishment is that where every nation has been a participant,
not all of them are ready to ratify it. Ratification is just a sign of reliance and is not
considered as a contract to every terms and condition. Ratifying the treaty means that, the
nation is efficiently the part of the agreement with the UN and companion nations to comply
with the outlined goals (Harvard Magazine, 2002). Not every nation selects to sign the
contract, which reflects that the Kyoto protocol role is non-existent for them. The general
reason was specified that it can damage the economy.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 3
Countries like Australia and the United States of America argued for around 10 years for the
changes that they asked to be made in the Kyoto Protocol Treaty. These nations have still not
signed the treaty, means that yet they are not being accountable for reducing their emission as
of now (European Council, 2019).
The key motive of introducing the Kyoto Protocol was to establish a contract among the
nations to put their efforts in decreasing the worldwide greenhouse gases emissions. Though,
it was tough to make every nation agree with the Kyoto Protocol in their present governance.
Another issue experienced by the Kyoto Protocol treaty was that it is established on limited
scientific knowledge and did not take consideration of all the individual desires of every
country. Ratification by a small nation like Switzerland will be very little if the industrialized
nation like Australia, USA, China, Russia, and the UK endure increasing the greenhouse gas
emission yearly (Coppock, 2019).
Though, the Kyoto Protocol was introduced with best purposes, as it was an excellent way to
reflect that there is a worldwide awareness about climate change. It took around 10 years to
approve the treaty and convert it in an authorized agreement. There were numerous gaps that
restricted industrialized countries to not get involved in the practice of decreasing greenhouse
gases emission, instead utilizing emerging countries as a manner of outsourcing them.
Though, the aim of the 2008-2012 commitment eras was not encountered in any way, hence
making the Kyoto protocol role impractical for the upcoming commitment period.
As of now, increasing scientific knowledge has been a substance for an environmental
change. Emerging countries are not being provided with the scope to increase their
greenhouse gases emissions. The maximum part of Asia, combined with the Indian
subcontinent has limited emissions but is being balanced by the emission produced by China.