News has been said that the global climate has been warming for the past number of years. The gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect are called “greenhouse gases and include water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and ozone. Of these, the most prevalent human-produced gas is carbon dioxide, whose source is primarily the burning of fossil fuels” (Richard C. Rhodes) such as from vehicles and factories. Air-condition and refrigerator is widely used nowadays as this produce CFCs that will harm the world’s ozone. Some Scientists predict that the “warming will not be evenly spread and that the polar regions will experience even higher temperatures and less rainfall” (Richard C. Rhodes). Warmer temperature will cause ice in the north to melt and this will cause a rise in sea level that will threaten coastal areas and small islands. For example, extreme weather events such as major floods will be likely to occur, as it will be a threat to human safety and property damage.
There are many perceptions from different people. Many scientists around the world will strongly support the environmental protection, yet equally strongly disagree with the protocol. The United States government and scientists from The World Meteorology Organization are one of the parties that disagree with Kyoto Protocol.
U.S. is the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases and is therefore an important part of the problem, but the U.S. had disagreed to join the agreement, as the government does not want to harm their country’s economy and workers. Many of the scientists from The World Meteorology Organization also disagreed to this agreement. If there really were a major threat to the future existence on the planet from CO2, countries would not be ignoring the issue. Why would Kyoto then give exemptions to undeveloped countries that produce a large proportion of greenhouse gasses if CO2 is a real threat to the future? “The statements by current Minister of the Environment David Anderson that Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's decision to ratify the Kyoto accord was based merely on a "gut feeling," not an understanding of the issue, clearly illustrates that a more thorough examination of the science should have taken place before a ratification decision was made” (Paul Martin).
Each country itself plays an important role in sustaining the world’s climate and ozone layer. They take responsibilities for their acts. “As this is, by nature, a global issue, the policy response to the scientific evidence requires nations to act both internationally and domestically. Individual countries should participate in various ways and to varying degrees” (Jepma and Munasinghe).
It is important that environmental procedure ought to be based on a strong groundwork of environmental science. WMO thinks that the Kyoto Protocol was not reasonable from a scientific perspective. Thorough and complete research should be done before deciding on the agreement as this will somehow cause negative impact on the involved country’s welfare especially the poorer ones and the developing countries. “Although ratification has already taken place, we believe that the government needs a far more comprehensive understanding of what climate science really says if environmental policy is to be developed that will truly benefit the environment while maintaining the economic prosperity so essential to social progress” (Paul Martin).
