The Kyoto Protocol and European energy policy

Abstract

During the lead up to and assessment of the Copenhagen Climate Conference in November 2009, the effects of the celebrated Kyoto Protocol were often overlooked. Although the aims of the Kyoto Protocol can be relegated to the dustbin of history, the targets set out in the agreement allowed Europe to put itself in a dominant position. Not only did the Kyoto Protocol force Europe to invest heavily in green technologies, but in addition it led to the creation of a European energy policy with the aim of reducing Europe's dependence on fossil fuels which can be seen, from a strategic point of view, as an undesirable dependence on sources abroad.