History of climate change policy and politics
Climate change means the world is getting hotter, which is bad because it can cause things like big storms, droughts, floods and food shortages. People all over the world are trying to figure out ways to stop the world from getting hotter, which is called "climate change policy".
The idea of climate change policy started to become popular in 1988 when a group of scientists talked to important leaders from different countries and told them that we need to do something to stop the world from getting too hot. Since then, many countries have made agreements to work together to stop climate change. For example, in 1992, lots of countries met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to talk about climate change and they made a plan called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This plan said the countries will work together to reduce the amount of pollution that goes into the air, which is what causes climate change. Then, in 1997, lots of countries met in Kyoto, Japan and created another plan, called the Kyoto Protocol. This plan said that rich countries have to reduce their pollution more than poor countries because rich countries make a lot more pollution. The Kyoto Protocol was important because it was the first time the world had agreed to work together to reduce pollution.
Since then, many countries have made agreements to work together to stop climate change. Some countries have even made laws to reduce pollution. For example, in the United States, there is a law called the Clean Air Act, which makes companies reduce the amount of pollution they make. Lots of other countries have similar laws too.
Despite these efforts, some politicians and people who make a lot of money from things that cause pollution, like oil and gas companies, have been resistant to climate change policy. They argue that reducing pollution will harm the economy and cost people jobs. Others argue that climate change isn't happening or isn't caused by human activity. This has led to a lot of debate and disagreement, and has slowed progress towards stopping climate change.
Overall, while there have been some successes, the history of climate change policy and politics has been complicated, and there is still much work to be done to slow and eventually stop climate change.
The idea of climate change policy started to become popular in 1988 when a group of scientists talked to important leaders from different countries and told them that we need to do something to stop the world from getting too hot. Since then, many countries have made agreements to work together to stop climate change. For example, in 1992, lots of countries met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to talk about climate change and they made a plan called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
This plan said the countries will work together to reduce the amount of pollution that goes into the air, which is what causes climate change. Then, in 1997, lots of countries met in Kyoto, Japan and created another plan, called the Kyoto Protocol. This plan said that rich countries have to reduce their pollution more than poor countries because rich countries make a lot more pollution. The Kyoto Protocol was important because it was the first time the world had agreed to work together to reduce pollution.
Since then, many countries have made agreements to work together to stop climate change. Some countries have even made laws to reduce pollution. For example, in the United States, there is a law called the Clean Air Act, which makes companies reduce the amount of pollution they make. Lots of other countries have similar laws too.
Despite these efforts, some politicians and people who make a lot of money from things that cause pollution, like oil and gas companies, have been resistant to climate change policy. They argue that reducing pollution will harm the economy and cost people jobs. Others argue that climate change isn't happening or isn't caused by human activity. This has led to a lot of debate and disagreement, and has slowed progress towards stopping climate change.
Overall, while there have been some successes, the history of climate change policy and politics has been complicated, and there is still much work to be done to slow and eventually stop climate change.
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