ABSTRACT
It is clear that there are considerable differences among countries as to their historic responsibility for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, their commitment to reducing greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol (properly termed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 1992) and their difficulties in meeting these commitments. Countries will also differ regarding the means chosen to achieve the emission targets of the Kyoto Protocol. One example is the difference in importance that states ascribe to the use of implementing mechanisms outlined in the protocol. Likewise, the legal responsibility for GHG emissions varies between different businesses and individuals, and not always in a clearly recognizable relation to actual emissions or their impacts.
