The Kyoto Protocol in the Context of Global Environmental Problems

The article explores the Kyoto Protocol that was the first global-level agreement on climate change issues. The document demonstrated how effective international cooperation could be in confronting the environmental threats. In the 1980s, the concept of "ecological safety" appeared. The humankind has faced such phenomena as ozone holes, acid rain, desertification, climate change. Ge-osystems are being restructured. Today, the problem of climate change is particularly urgent and requires the cooperation of all countries. The importance of environmental issues is underlined in many international instruments, such as the UN Millennium Declaration (2000). The aim of this article is to study the impact of environmental problems on the global political process. The aim predetermined objectives of the study: to analyze the views on environmental problems of the representatives of different theoretical approaches in international studies; to study their discussion surrounding the Kyoto Protocol. The object of the study is ecological problems in historical dynamics, their role in the modern world-political process and inter-state relations. The research focuses on the academic and political debate on the problem of global climate change as an integral part of the historical process. The methodological basis consists of the principle of interdisciplinary research, historical, specific and system analysis. Different levels of environmental problems are explored: national, regional, global. Historical methods of scientific research became fundamental. The historical and typological method was a necessary tool for establishing periodization of historical events related to the formation of the environmental agenda. The historical and retrospective approach and the method of historical and political analysis identified the main trends that characterize the attitude to the Kyoto Protocol. The academic debate on the issue of global climate change is an integral part of the historical process. Representatives of each of the scientific approaches propose their interpretation of the way in which the negotiation process on environmental issues is taking place. Thanks to the proponents of the cognitive approach, the study of climate change has become an international problem. Neoliberalists analyze how the interests of an individual state influence the course of negotiations. Representatives of neorealism and historical liberalism underline that some countries put their interests first. Proponents of the cognitive approach believe that cognitive factors contribute to understanding of the international cooperation trends. The positions of those who have access to the flows of information and can control them are increased at the time of instability in historical development, and consequently they may influence the decision-making process. In the past decade, the number of economic epistemological societies has been growing. Such societies are able to give a more specific assessment of civilizational approaches, and in particular the expenditure on action to save the climate. All these approaches are complementary to each other.

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