This is because it was not officially ratified by the U.S. Senate. The reason why, was due to the underlying fears of the damage that it could cause to the economy. This would create the atmosphere that various provisions were unfair for the U.S., leading to its eventual withdrawal from Kyoto. (U.S. Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol 2001) When such a large country will no longer follow these different provisions, it creates an atmosphere of voluntary compliance. At which point, the other signatories will not follow the different provision of the treaty as strictly. Once this takes place, it means that any kind of efforts to address the problem is the equivalent of having no agreement at all. This will cause the various environmental issues to become worse, as the constant finger pointing and debate are only creating more problems. Evidence of this can be by looking at the total number of environmental disasters in 2010. Where, a variety of different situations would confirm what is taking place to include: the severe drought / fires in Russia, the extreme flooding in Southeast Asia and the large number of cyclones that are hitting the Pacific region. (Guili 2010) If you look at the situation from a long-term perspective, it is even worse, as 2005 would serve as the busiest hurricane season on record. (NOAA Raises 2005 Hurricane Season Outlook 2005) This includes: the deadly Hurricane Katrina that would devastate the...

(Hurricane Katrina 2010) What all of this shows, is that the lack of enforceable standards are making the environmental effects of globalization worse. This is because of: the heated emotions surrounding the effects of these changes and the lack of all nations, in being able to work together to address the issue. These two factors are slowly undermining any kind of efforts, to reduce the effects of global warming.
Clearly, the causes and effects of global warming are undeniable. As the changes in weather patterns have become worse over the last ten years. This is despite the fact that the Kyoto Protocol is in effect. The reason why this is occurring is because, of a lack of agreement in the international community, about how to effectively tackle the issue of responsibility. Where, the developed nations believe, they are being punished for their current economic status. While the developing countries think, that developed world contributed to problem and should be held accountable. The divide between these different viewpoints, is what's making the situation worse, as there are no enforceable standards for tackling the problem. Over the course of time, this is equivalent of having no agreement at all, where it causing the effects to only become worse. Therefore, delegates at the Cancun Conference must address this divide, in order to create a workable solution to the problem. As a member of the Security Council, France, is encouraging everyone to take these ideas into account during the conference.

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Hurricane Katrina. 2010, Hurricane Katrina. Available from: . [27 September 2010].

NOAA Raises 2005 Hurricane Season Outlook, 2005, NOAA. Available from: . [27 September 2010].

US Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol, 2001, Greenpeace. Available from: . [27 September 2010].

Will the Climate Change Conference in Cancun Yield Better Results, 2010, Kaieteur News. Available from: . [27 September 2010].

Guili, K, 2010, Extreme Weather Warning, Standeyo. Available from: . [27 September 2010].

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Harvard Format. http://libguides.library.uwa.edu.au/data/files2/49275/Harvard%20LibGuide%20-%20All%20Examples%20PDF.pdf