Building on the Kyoto Protocol: Options for Protecting the Climate

Since 1997, debates over global climate change policy have focused narrowly on the Kyoto Protocol—an international treaty to control greenhouse gas emissions that are trapping heat in the atmosphere. Looking ahead, a wide range of other options need to be considered to promote long-term climate protection and bridge the growing divide among nations over how to take action. This compilation explores some of the best alternatives. Seventeen contributors from nine countries offer analyses of options for strengthening the climate protection treaties. They confront the most persistent challenge of climate protection – designing solutions that include both developed and developing countries. The options examined range from the well-known to the novel. Indeed, some approaches put forth in this book have never before been examined in print. Also included is a quantitative comparison of three approaches to differentiating climate commitments across countries.