Today, Feb. 16, is the official start of an international attempt to prevent human-induced climate changes. The Kyoto Protocol’s purpose is to commit the countries that have ratified it to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases within their borders. Many climate experts believe that these emissions are a direct cause of global warming.

One hundred eighty nations have signed the agreement and 136 countries have ratified it, thus becoming legally bound to it. Two countries, however — the United States and Australia — have no intentions of ratifying the protocol. As the world’s biggest polluter, emitting more than 5.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the United States has received much criticism for this refusal.

The United States has its reasons for not engaging in this international attempt. One of the reasons is the Senate resolution stating that the United States should not sign any protocol that does not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations, according to Wikipedia. The Kyoto Protocol targets industrialized countries.

However, Stephen Schneider, professor of biological sciences at Stanford University, said in an interview with PBS that there are two facts to remember. The first is that during the last 100 years, 80 percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was emitted by industrialized nations and only 20 percent came from developing countries. The second is that industrialized countries have a per capita use of carbon dioxide-creating fossil fuels that is 10 or more times the per capita use in developing countries. He said, “How dare [we] ask those groups, which have had a minority share in the problem, to all of a sudden have an equal share in the solution when they’re relatively impoverished, and we [used] that very pollution to get rich?”

Developing countries would not be held out of the protocol for too long. Developed countries have to supply technology for climate-related technologies in other countries, helping the developing world to leapfrog to less-polluting technologies. Schneider adds, “[Developing countries] are not even going to listen unless we have 10 years to show them that we’re serious, by taking the first step.”

However, this technological and monetary aid, which legally binds countries to the Kyoto Protocol, is another reason the United States refuses to ratify it. Some say it poses an economic threat to the country. Fred Singer, an atmospheric physicist at George Mason University, opposes the Kyoto Protocol. He says the United States has been asked to reduce 35 percent of its energy use to meet the protocol’s emission requirement.

“That means giving up one-third of all energy use, using one-third less electricity, throwing out one-third of all cars perhaps,” Singer said. It’s most likely that the United States shares Singer’s view and understands that it is almost impossible to change this society’s view about energy use. If the United States ratifies the protocol and cannot meet the requirements, it would have to buy emissions from another country in order to balance the emission requirements.

The Kyoto Protocol is a way to create global consciousness about environmental issues. The world is uniting on a global problem: however, to the United States, economic stability comes first. Our country did not ratify the protocol, nor did it show solidarity with the world. Even though this is a problem caused by the wealthiest nations, it needs to be solved by nations working together.

Even if the United States does not become an active and legally bound part of the protocol, we must not forget that there are many researchers working on innovative, environmentally friendly technologies in this country. Maybe it’s time we as citizens of this country realize the damage we cause to our environment and start working to change that.