During the past one hundred years global warming has caused the temperature of Earth to rise. Since 1900 life span has doubled, manufacturing has increased, and gases have multiplied. Scientists believe that the drastic increase of greenhouse gases could lead to an increase in the average temperature on Earth's surface that would cause a variety of changes that could be detrimental ("Impacts"). The Kyoto Protocol is a list of commitments trying to reduce emissions of gases said to contribute to global warming. Countries that have agreed to the Kyoto Protocol are going through extremely expensive procedures to cut back on certain gas emissions. In 1997 President Clinton signed the Kyoto Protocol even though many people advised him he was making a mistake. Members of Congress that opposed the treaty feared the economic impacts that might happen if the United States were to meet its emission reduction commitments. Today President Bush has stated that he has no intention of sending the Protocol into the Senate for ratification. The United States does not agree with certain statements in the Kyoto Protocol, and therefore refuse to ratify the treaty. Many people believe that the United States are making a big mistake by not signing the treaty, however, I agree with the decision of the United States because I believe there are better ways of reducing gas emissions than those set forth in the Kyoto Protocol. .
According to Meyer son the Kyoto Protocol is a pact for countries to reduce their yearly net carbon emissions for the years of 2008-12. The Protocol states that the agreeing countries hold emissions to specific percentages of their 1990 emission levels (Meyerson 115). The Treaty would insure that the United States reduce greenhouse gases by seven percent below 1990 levels (Fletcher). The people behind the Kyoto Protocol want to decrease as many greenhouse gases as possible, but Carbon Dioxide is their main focus.