What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol is indeed recognized as an international agreement established to set binding obligations on industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Adopted in 1997 and entering into force in 2005, it marked a significant step toward addressing global warming and climate change. The protocol focused on specific emission reduction targets, which were different for each participating country and aimed at combating climate change by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

The emphasis on emission reduction is critical, as it established a framework that committed developed nations to reduce their collective emissions, acknowledging that they were historically responsible for most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This agreement also introduced mechanisms like emissions trading, which allowed countries to buy and sell emissions allowances, incentivizing reductions in ways that could minimize economic costs.

Understanding the Kyoto Protocol is vital for comprehending international efforts to tackle climate change, making option B the correct choice.