KyotoNOW! chose the initial goal of Cornell signing on to the Kyoto Protocol because of a desire to take action on a timely international issue. At the time of KyotoNOW!’s inception, the Kyoto Protocol was the leading standard in greenhouse gas reduction schemes. Today, it continues to be the only international agreement in existence that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Protocol represents an ambitious goal however, it remains only a first step in addressing global warming and mitigating its effects.

While KyotoNOW! latest initivative, BEYOND KYOTO!, seeks to move beyond the Kyoto framework and onto more ambitious emissions reduction goals, our group’s roots will always be traced back to the start of the campus climate action movement in the United States.