The Kyoto Protocol - Global Warming Legislation

After being agreed to almost a decade before, the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in 2005 represented a pledge by many developed nations to reduce emissions drastically over the coming years. This Initial Legislation was passed by the EU and many other countries - from which the U.S. was noticeable absent (view a Complete List of parties who signed the Protocol). This marked the beginning of new terms like Carbon Trading and CER's (Certified Emissions Reductions). At this point, the success of the original Protocol is mixed and likely faces a number of Modifications in the near future.

The passing of this legislation created the market for mandatory offsets and the increased need to provide those offsets helped lead to a thriving voluntary-offset market as well. Time will tell how successful Government-led emission reduction projects prove, as well as how closely personal and voluntary efforts match their progress.