Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol has been a source of hot political, economic and environmental debate ever since it was introduced as a means of cutting the Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions of major countries around the world. . And the debate has grown even stronger as the federal government increases its push to ratify the Kyoto Protocol within the year. The protocol calls for a 9% reduction of CO₂ emissions from 1990 levels by the year 2010. The print media's reporting of this issue appears to be both for and against the Kyoto Protocol and is never quite neutral in the information it chooses to release. Their information is centered around political views rather than impartial scientific data. On the whole, the print media's reporting of the environmental issues surrounding Kyoto is disturbing when compared to the more balanced approach of scholarly journals. The media's information is often sensational and highly emotional rather than based upon fact alone."Canada's ratification of the Kyoto accord will have an 'imperceptible' impact on Edmonton's economy" (Brooymans), and "Kyoto plan fails to ease fears" (Varcoe and Schmidt C1) are both examples of print media reporting that carries a very alarmist tone. It is often
Out of the numerous articles researched, very little of the actual specifics of the Kyoto Protocol was discussed. Very little was mentioned about the environmental aspects of the protocol except that it called for a reduction in CO₂ emissions. On the other hand, political and economic views were highlighted quite a bit more than any actual environmental concerns. In comparison, the journal articles addressed the environmental aspects of the protocol as well as the economic aspects. According to Boyd and Ibarraran, there are definite benefits to implementing the policy because the growth rate of carbon emissions is reduced. The print articles are more concerned that, "ratifying the Kyoto protocol won't hurt the province's economy" (Paraskevas A1). In general, the newspaper media seems more concerned with the political and economic facets of the protocol. One hundred percent of the articles relate back to economic and political views. That contrasts greatly with the scholarly journals that try to remain focused on the science of the issue instead of the politics. "An economic assessment of climate change must weigh the benefits from avoided undesirable consequences of global warming against the costs of greenhouse gas emission abatement. The established technique of cost-benefit analysis provides the appropriate framework to this objective" Instead of focusing on the political debate surrounding Kyoto, the scientific journals attempt to explain or determine the costs associated with the protocol in both environmental and pure economic terms. Bias is a concern in media reporting of environmental issues as well. As s
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Approximate Word count = 1107
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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