International Environment: Experts' Observations on Enhancing Compliance With a Climate Change Agreement Page: 3 of 32
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United States
General Accounting Office
Washington, D.C. 20548
Resources, Community, and
Economic Development Division
B-283174
August 23, 1999
The Honorable John D. Dingell
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Commerce
House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Dingell:
In December 1997, the parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change adopted the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol
was developed to advance the convention's objective, which is to stabilize
concentrations of human-made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Under the protocol, developed nations (the United States, France, Japan,
and 35 others) pledged to limit their emissions of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases for the period 2008 through 2012. If the U.S. Senate
approves the protocol, the United States would be required to significantly
reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Ratification has been the subject of much debate. Two main concerns are
the costs of complying with the protocol and the possibility that U.S.
businesses that invest in reducing their emissions might have to raise the
prices of their goods, making them less competitive with goods produced
by nations that do not limit their emissions. To date, many of the
protocol's key provisions have not been decided and are to be worked out
in upcoming meetings among the nations that are parties to the
Framework Convention on Climate Change and that negotiated the
protocol. In that regard, during meetings in November 1998, these nations
developed an action plan, with a deadline of year-end 2000, for adopting
the rules and procedures for compliance, including the consequences of
noncompliance.
Concerned about the effectiveness of the rules and procedures now being
developed, you asked us to identify issues that could enhance compliance
with the protocol or any climate change agreement. To do this, we
convened a panel of nine experts-representatives from the federal
government, industry, academia, and environmental organizations. (See
app. I.) This report reflects the results of the panel's discussions, but the
issues presented were not necessarily endorsed by all panelists. The report
focuses on three issues that could influence compliance with the protocol
or other future international environmental treaties on climate change:
(1) the clarity of the goals and procedures, (2) the use of incentives thatGAO/RCED-99-248 Climate Change Agreement
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United States. General Accounting Office. International Environment: Experts' Observations on Enhancing Compliance With a Climate Change Agreement, report, August 23, 1999; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc295241/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.