Meeting the Requirements of the Kyoto Protocol may not be so Difficult

Eugene S. Takle
January 2000

Reilly et al (1999) have extended the analysis of requirements to meet the Kyoto Protocal beyond consideration of carbon emissions from fossil fuels to include forest sinks and non-CO² greenhouse gases. They also evaluate impacts of atmospheric interactions among gases, climate feedbacks, the role of CO² and NOX, and the cooling due to sulface aerosols. Estimating the economic impact of meeting the Protocol by limiting fossil fuels only without consideration of sinks and other gases overstates the cost by 60%.

Reilly, J., R. Prinn, J. Harnish, J. Fitzmaurice, H. Jacoby, D. Kicklighter, and C. Wang, 1999: Multi-gas assessment of the Kyoto Protocol. Nature 401, 549-555.