--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've…" description: "\"We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've instituted a voluntary program that's obviously not been working, we've taken every effort to excise references..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg" --- # We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've instituted a… ![“We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've instituted a voluntary program that's obviously not been working, we've taken every effort to excise references to global warming from official documents, to try to undermine international conferences that work on environmental issues, and on and on and on.” quote by Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg) > “We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've instituted a voluntary program that's obviously not been working, we've taken every effort to excise references to global warming from official documents, to try to undermine international conferences that work on environmental issues, and on and on and on.” [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker criticizes the abandonment of formal climate agreements and the shift to ineffective voluntary measures, highlighting attempts to downplay global warming. **In simple terms:** Government has weakened climate action and ignored science. Key Takeaway Demand stronger, enforceable climate policies. Themes environment politics policy climate change governance Mood frustrated urgent critical Type political activist When to use this quote - Policy debates - environmental advocacy - legislative drafting - public communications Key Concepts International law voluntary compliance denial tactics Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure climate commitments are enforceable? - What role should public pressure play in policy? A Different Perspective Voluntary programs can lack accountability and measurable impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abnegated Kyoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abnegated-kyoto-4079516/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Conferences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conferences/) [Documents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documents/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Environmental issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental-issues/) [Global warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-warming/) [Instituted Voluntary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instituted-voluntary-4079518/) [International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Kyoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kyoto/) [Kyoto Treaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kyoto-treaty-493483/) [Officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officials/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Treaties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treaties/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Undermine International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undermine-international-4079517/) [Voluntary Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voluntary-program-427378/) ## Related quotes > [The National Flood Insurance Program is a voluntary program. If a community really feels that the building insurance requirements are too burdensome, they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/the-national-flood-insurance-program-is-a-voluntary-program-if-a/) [Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/) > [The Administration should never have walked away from the Kyoto Treaty. Global warming is real and it is here today. The facts aren't the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kulongoski/the-administration-should-never-have-walked-away-from-the-kyoto/) [Ted Kulongoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kulongoski/) > [Carbon dioxide does not cause or contribute to smog, and the Kyoto treaty would do nothing to reduce or prevent smog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/carbon-dioxide-does-not-cause-or-contribute-to-smog-and-the-kyoto/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The Kyoto treaty has failed, and it's failed even in Europe, which has had cap and tax since 2005.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/the-kyoto-treaty-has-failed-and-it-s-failed-even-in-europe-which-has/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [The Kyoto treaty ... has no scientific foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-illarionov/the-kyoto-treaty-has-no-scientific-foundation/) [Andrey Illarionov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-illarionov/) > [The Kyoto treaty has an estimated cost of between US$150 and $350 billion a year, starting in 2010.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/the-kyoto-treaty-has-an-estimated-cost-of-between-us-150-and-350/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [The Kyoto Treaty wasn't perfect, but we signed it, in fact, helped to draft it. And I'm very proud of it, it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-kyoto-treaty-wasn-t-perfect-but-we-signed-it-in-fact-helped-to/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The obvious issue is providing clean drinking water and sanitation to every single human being on earth at the cost of little more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/the-obvious-issue-is-providing-clean-drinking-water-and-sanitation-to/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [I believe that in order to tackle the big issues of the world today, like environmental issues, we need everybody's involvement. We need the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/i-believe-that-in-order-to-tackle-the-big-issues-of-the-world-today/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [On almost every environmental issue I care about, in fact, I've been wrong at one point or another. I used to think that climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/on-almost-every-environmental-issue-i-care-about-in-fact-i-ve-been/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [God put the human race in charge of managing the resources of the entire planet for the benefit of all life. Therefore, we, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-ross/god-put-the-human-race-in-charge-of-managing-the-resources-of-the/) [Hugh Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-ross/) > [Climate change isn't just an environmental issue; it's a technology, water, food, energy, population issue. None of this happens in a vacuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-titley/climate-change-isn-t-just-an-environmental-issue-it-s-a-technology/) [David Titley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-titley/) > [“If you believed in capitalism, you had to attack science, because science had revealed the hazards that capitalism had brought in its wake. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-oreskes/if-you-believed-in-capitalism-you-had-to-attack-science-because/) [Naomi Oreskes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-oreskes/) > [It is important to allow a broad debate on energy and climate. We must urgently explore realistic ways to address the different scientific, technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-bengtsson/it-is-important-to-allow-a-broad-debate-on-energy-and-climate-we-must/) [Lennart Bengtsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennart-bengtsson/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) ## More by Bill McKibben > [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Whenever anyone challenges anything, the powers that be try to paint them as extremists or radicals or whatever. And I think that's actually nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/whenever-anyone-challenges-anything-the-powers-that-be-try-to-paint/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [What makes us different? We're the creature that can decide not to do something that we are capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/what-makes-us-different-we-re-the-creature-that-can-decide-not-to-do/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“The snow was coming down so hard. It looked like the flakes were hurrying to get out of the sky so the next ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-snow-was-coming-down-so-hard-it-looked-like-the-flakes-were/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/most-of-the-men-and-women-who-vote-in-congress-each-year-to-continue/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“I’ve sat behind a microphone and listened for decades as Americans learned to stop talking with each other and start shouting instead. No discussions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-ve-sat-behind-a-microphone-and-listened-for-decades-as-americans/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We're putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the atmosphere can absorb. And everybody told us when we started, coz we knew nothing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-re-putting-more-carbon-into-the-atmosphere-than-the-atmosphere-can/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everything-that-the-administration-has-done-has-been-counterproductive/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We use the web to help people organize in the flesh, and then we take the images of those events and put them back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-use-the-web-to-help-people-organize-in-the-flesh-and-then-we-take/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [everyone knows, at some level, that the sharp line between "good weather" and "bad weather" is a fiction, that we need rain as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everyone-knows-at-some-level-that-the-sharp-line-between-good-weather/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The thing about global warming is that you can address it on a great number of levels - in fact you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-thing-about-global-warming-is-that-you-can-address-it-on-a-great/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) [Explore all 299 Bill McKibben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## More Climate quotes > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. 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Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) [Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've instituted a voluntary program that's obviously not been working, we've taken every effort to excise references to global warming from official documents, to try to undermine international conferences that work on environmental issues, and on and on and on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill McKibben" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-instituted-a-voluntary-program/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Climate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-instituted-a-voluntary-program/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/bill-mckibben-1057_conferences_we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-i_1271810.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've instituted a voluntary program that's obviously not been working…” — Bill McKibben", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill McKibben", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We've abnegated the Kyoto treaty, we've...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-instituted-a-voluntary-program/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-ve-abnegated-the-kyoto-treaty-we-ve-instituted-a-voluntary-program/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```