Kyoto Targets still Misunderstood

[Keepitsimple]

Media articles have maintained that Kyoto targets must be met by 2012 or Canada would be in violation of the Treaty - this is misleading. The Kyoto Protocol actually says that "By 2008-2012, Annex 1 countries have to reduce their GHG emissions by an AVERAGE of 5% below their 1990 levels". In Canada's case, we have to reduce our Greenhouse Gas emissions by about a third starting NEXT YEAR and maintain that level right through to 2012. This "averaging" concept means that if we exceed our targets in 2008 and 2009, we 'll have to cut even more to make up for it in 2010 and 2011.

Here's an excerpt and a link to the full Globe & Mail article. To support the article, I've also included some information from Wikipedia.

From the Globe & Mail:

Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol in April of 1998, committing the country to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to an average of 6 per cent below 1990 levels during the years 2008 to 2012.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...on0201/BNStory/

From Wickipedia:

By 2008-2012, Annex 1 countries have to reduce their GHG emissions by an average of 5% below their 1990 levels (for many countries, such as the EU member states, this corresponds to some 15% below their expected GHG emissions in 2008). While the average emissions reduction is 5%, national targets range from 8% reductions for the European Union to a 10% emissions increase for Iceland. Reduction targets expire in 2013.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol

[madmax]

With only 8 current threads on Global Warming and Kyoto on the 1st page alone, I could see the need for another heading about kyoto.

Why did you not put this in a Current Kyoto Thread?