1. What year was this law enacted?

"The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on December 11, 1997 and entered into force on February 2005."

2. What events led to the enactment of this law?

This law was in response to concerns on the increasing greenhouse gases. In order to regulate greenhouse gases, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was created. Unfortunatly, this "pledge" was voluntary and the industries didn't get punished for not complying. The Kyoto Protocol was created in order to enforce industries to become more "green".

3. What contorversy was connected to this law?

A controversy with is law is because of many developing nations lack an incentice to slow down economic progress. Without any encentive to keep their emissions down, these countries do not see a need to sign the Protocol in order to have more economic sucess and better standards of living for all of their citizens.

4. What does the law do?

The Kyoto Protocol was put in place in order to give binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This was supposed to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by five percent over a five year period. With this treaty the countries must meet their targets but if they dont, there are other ways of meeting their targets by completing three other "mechanisms". The mechanisms of emission trading, clean development, and joint implementation were supposed to help "stimulate a green investment" and help the industries to meet their targets in a cost effective way. Every emission had to be carefully recorded.

5. What impacts has this law had?

Even if the Protocol was inacted by all parties in the conference, there would only be a five percent reduction which doesn't come close to stopping global warming. It was only a little step in the right direction.