The Kyoto Protocol is related to:

Concept

International environmental agreements are identified by the environmental problem they regulate and by their policy mechanism. Climate treaties address greenhouse-gas emissions and atmospheric warming, whereas other conventions govern ozone-depleting substances, hazardous waste, or nuclear risks.

Application

The Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It sets quantified commitments for industrialized parties to limit and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions; therefore, the protocol is related to climate change.

Cross-check and contrast

• Ozone depletion is chiefly associated with controls on ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol.

• Hazardous-waste movement and disposal are chiefly governed internationally by the Basel Convention.

• Climate-change agreements focus on mitigating greenhouse-gas emissions; this is the policy domain of the Kyoto Protocol.

• Nuclear energy is governed through safety, safeguards, and radiation-protection frameworks rather than the Kyoto emissions framework.

Result: Climate change.