In 2005 The Kyoto Protocol came into affect on this day in 2005. The agreement was set up on the 11th of December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and set out obligations by UN members to reduce pollution and climate change. The protocol puts more responsibility on the developed nations due to their contributions through more than 150 years of industrial activity under the “Common but different responsibilities’ principle. This requires industrialised Nations to reduce their green house gas emissions, over the next ten years, by 5.2% below levels in 1990. United States President George W. Bush stated that America would never sign this protocol in a statement in March 2001 (The United States are the Worlds biggest producers of green house gases with 36% of the worlds emissions). Amendments made four months after the statement from the US allowed for nations to off-set their targets with areas of forests and farmland (called ‘Carbon Sinks’) which absorb the carbon through photosynthesis. The United States have still not signed the treaty claiming it would be too costly to introduce.
In 1965 Dr Richard Beeching releases his report as the British Railway Chairman stating that a reduction in the train system was needed. He claimed that the railway system was under used and bloated and recommended that a quarter of the system be shut down. Over 2,000 local stations and 70,000 jobs were lost as a result.
In 1959 Fidel Castro becomes Cuban’s youngest Prime Minister Aged 32. Fulgenico was a right-wing dictator that ruled the country for seven years under military rule. Dr Castro led the 26th July army, a gorilla resistance force that overthrew Fulgencio’s regime. In 1976 Fidel Castro changed the Cuban constitution and became President, Secretary General of the Communist Party and Commander and Chief of the army.
