The Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol was initially drawn up in 1997 as an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the aim of reducing the emissions of the gases responsible for the greenhouse effect world wide. The CO2 resulting from the burning of oil, coal and gas is now understood to be the main cause of global warming. Experts say the warming could lead to an unforeseen disaster.

The countdown is now underway. On 16 February the 141 states signed the Kyoto Protocol entered into a legal obligation to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases, which have been linked to global warming. Industrialized countries now have until 2012 to cut their collective emissions of six key greenhouse gases to 5.2% below the 1990 level. Numerous experts have claimed that a far more drastic cut, of up to 60%, is needed to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

And we all know about those countries who have not signed up, above all of course the dragging feet of the US and Australia. That's bad enough. But that's not the only problem we are facing as the Kyoto timetable begins to come into effect.

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The empty chair in Kyoto

In the seven years since the Treaty has been under international negotiations, and despite progress in certain areas, the fact is that as far as transport in cities is concerned, the actual performance of the sector has continued to be marked by sharp deterioration. Virtually every city on the planet has seen steady increases in the number of vehicles on the street, traffic congestion and all the considerable air quality and other environmental impacts that go with it.

And this despite the fact that a growing number of cities are working hard to undertake improvements in their transportation arrangements, often of a sort that can lend themselves to transfer and success in other cities. Despite these important advances, the overall situation from the Kyoto perspective is one of continuing and, one must in all reality admit, quite hopeless decline

Typically in most cites the transport sector accounts for fully half of all emissions, often more. But there is to our knowledge nothing in the cards as yet which is ready to target this at the level that the present, drastic circumstances dictate.

The proposed Kyoto World Cities Mobility Challenge is being put forth for consideration as a specific and potentially powerful remedial tool set to deal specifically with the challenge of Kyoto Compliance in cities. It does not depend on more international treaties being signed, nor huge additional investments, nor the prospect of some saving technological innovation. It proposes a process of targeting and supporting tools and mechanisms which can lead to very considerable improvements in both the quality of the transportation arrangements of the city in question, and with that very large decreases in both traffic and pollution.

The key to Kyoto Compliance in cities lies in the quality of leadership, the technical virtuosity of the planners and operators, and public support. It is no less than a challenge to democracy.

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The Kyoto Cities Challenge

On the day the Kyoto Protocols entered into international law, the New Mobility Agenda, a technology-mediated Paris-based NGO, together with a world wide network of distinguished colleagues and organizations, announced a voluntary program and strategy to address this alarming oversight: the Kyoto Cities Challenge.

The groundwork for this cooperative effort had been carefully laid over the last months with a series of internet discussions and in-person and videoconference exchanges which in time reached out to more than a thousand international experts and leading groups in the fields that need to be part of the solution. The new program has been carefully shaped through these expert exchanges and is now ready to go.

The Challenge goals are exceptionally ambitious -- as indeed they must be under the circumstances. It not only invites each participating city to set exceptionally tough performance targets for itself to move toward "Kyoto Compliance", but also to do this in terms of a very tight timetable of less than two years.

One variant receiving especially close attention is the 20/20 Challenge. The goal is to create a high profile city-wide action program to achieve some form of 20% reduction in a target period of 20 months. The question comes up of course "20% of what". And this is something that needs to be sorted out by the planning teams in each city. Thus one city might target a 20% reduction of CO2 emissions, another of some indicator of motorized traffic, a third perhaps some public health metric such as pulmonary infections. But in each case these need to be set carefully during the intense three month blueprint stage.

The international expert group is confident that this challenge can be met, but is well aware that this is going to require exceptionally strong local leadership, considerable technical virtuosity and a broad base of public support if it is to work The cooperating experts are confident that once a first group of pioneer cities show the way, this approach will capture the attention of many others and spread like wildfire. What is needed now is that first set of high visibility, high impact city programs. The rest will follow.

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Who is working on it?

Don't for one moment think that we are alone in this. After all, many thousands of cities and billions of people are involved. This sense of urgency is being widely felt and if you turn here both to Latest Kyoto News reports and in particular to the extensive List of Concerned Organizations and Programs, you will get a feel for the rich background of concern and competence, and will see that many actions are getting underway in many places.

And if that is the case, what is the case for one more program? Good question. And for the answer to that we invite you now to turn to the Executive Summary, and judge what you see here on the basis of your own experience and knowledge of what is going on. As you will note, we feel that there is a real place for the Cities Challenge. But that you will be able to decide for yourself.

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Program Organization

This is by no means just one more passive one-way web site and information posting program. Bearing in mind the nature of the challenge before us, and of the tools now at our disposal, the whole solution process has from the beginning been designed to be heavily interactive. It is thus and above all an active communications tool. In these pages you will find a comprehensive set of background information, working materials and some of the tools that we are using to turn this idea into reality on the streets of, we hope in fairly short order, quite a good number of cities around the world. Our immediate challenge however is to get those first pioneer cities on line to show the way to the rest.

• International Advisory Panel:
  A key to the entire project is the collective expertise and competence of the distinguished international figures who are joining in via the International Advisory Panel. Have a look. Do you belong there? Or someone you know who understands and is ready to work on these issues? If so, please let us know.

• The World Inventory of Leading Organizations actively working on the challenge, each from their own angle and areas of expertise and geographic coverage. This is a very important part of the solution process as we see it, namely finding ways to link these groups into active alliances so as to be able to extend the power and outreach of the solution process.

• Networking tool kit (An introduction):
  The collaborative project depends on a level of intensity of communications and exchanges that go far beyond that which is usually practiced. In large part, that is because not only do we now have the tools for the job, but also because of the highly dispersed nature of the people and organizations involved in the colution process. But there is also another thought behind this which relates to the objectives and even the ethics (yes, ethics) of the whole thing we are trying to get at: let's call if for the sake of simplicity: CO2 reduction. These tools, as you will see, permit us to remove the need for much of the physical displacement that older programs have been accustomed to relying on. Not only that, these tools -- many of which are free or at the most very low cost -- allow more people and groups to get involved, at a higher level of intensity and usefulness for all concerned, all while saving CO2 (and time and energy, you also have to admit).

  This website is only one part of the basic organizing structure. The entire project is based on intense interactivity and communications, and is supported by a quite extensive array of electronic tools which are introduced here. Of these we would draw your attention in particular to:

  • IAP Communications Forum. This private e-forum serves the members of the International Advisory Panel and others who are actively involved in the collaborative projects. It is private and strictly moderated to protect your time. For more click here.

  • Supporting e-tools:

  • The Kyoto World Cities Challenge: Essays & Comments interactive group web log. Click here for more.

  • Latest News on Kyoto/Cities: provided by a special Google search and updated daily.

Progress (to follow)