Meeting the Requirements of the Kyoto Protocol May Not be so Difficult

Eugene S. Takle
© January 2000

Reilly et al (1999) have extended the analysis of requirements to meet the Kyoto Protocol beyond consideration of carbon emissions from fossil fuels to include forest sinks and non-CO₂ greenhouse gases. They also evaluate impacts of atmospheric interactions among gases, climate feedbacks, the role of CO₂ and NOX, and the cooling due to sulfate aerosols. Estimating the economic impact of meeting the Protocol by limiting fossil fuels only without consideration of sinks and other gases overstates the cost by 60%.

Reference

Reilly, J., R. Prinn, J. Harnish, J. Fitzmaurice, H. Jacoby, D. Kicklighter, and C. Wang, 1999: Multi-gas assessment of the Kyoto Protocol. Nature, 401, 549-555.