The Quest- Chapter 25: Global Agenda

Chapter 25 describes the experience of the Kyoto Protocol and the evolution of the carbon trading market. Since the publication of The Quest, future global climate meetings have not been able to “crack the nut” of coming up with effective policy mechanisms to enact wholesale change. Key emitting countries are still exempted, much focus is put on trying to move funding to developing countries, and compliance even by those countries who sign the treaties is spotty. Ironically, the US was one of the few countries to meet the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol- even though we never ratified the treaty! In parallel, the carbon trading and offset market has come into its own with millions of tons of carbon removed from emissions (either by capture, reduction, or offset via sequestration) in the past few years.