The Kyoto protocol and the Arctic Region: a case study of Finland and Canada

Abstract

The Kyoto Protocol is part of the international climate change regime. Its objective is to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This thesis uses three criteria derived from regime theory to evaluate the effectiveness of the Protocol: objectives of a regime, the difference a regime makes, and regime evolution. But the Protocol has proven ineffective in both a regional policy framework and in the context of a national and sub-national framework. In this thesis Finland - a member of the European Union - is presented as an example of implementation through a regional framework. Canada - a federal state - provides an example of implementation through a national and sub-national framework. Three categories of analysis are used to evaluate national approaches: interests, institutions, and policies. This thesis concludes that the Kyoto Protocol is not a viable vehicle for policy on greenhouse gas emission reduction, regardless of a member state's institutional structures, due to critical flaws in the Protocol itself in Finland's and Canada's political structures; an over-reliance on flexible (market-based) mechanisms, unrealistic targets, inability to compensate for unanticipated events, and inability to overcome political and economic resistance at the national level.