Myth: Kyoto works in Europe

Liberal myth

The Kyoto Protocol has been a success in Europe.

The facts

The European Union nations that have signed onto the Kyoto Protocol—and regularly criticize the U.S. for failing to join them—are falling considerably short of its requirements.

Despite the caps on carbon dioxide emissions,

• Nearly every Western European nation has higher carbon emissions today than when the treaty was signed in 1997.
• These emissions increases show no signs of leveling off.

Compliance with Kyoto’s looming 2008–2012 targets will be all but impossible for most of these countries, and many are actually seeing their emissions rising faster than those in the U.S.

Related Heritage research

• Ben Lieberman, “Frequently Asked Questions About Global Warming,” March 21, 2007
• Ben Lieberman, “Don’t Rush To Judgment on U.N.’s IPCC Global Warming Summary,” February 7, 2007