The agreement aims to curb gas emissions thought partly responsible for the warming of the planet.

Signatories to the document, including Britain, have said that they will aim to reduce their emissions by 5.2% of what they were in 1990.

Will the introduction of the Kyoto Protocol encourage you to change your lifestyle? What are you doing to help the environment? Send us your comments and stories.

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we received:

Just by not shopping at any supermarket, our family has cut down on our weekly non-compostable rubbish by about 75%! Fruit and veg in plastic punnets, in a plastic pouch, inside a cardboard sleeve. We support a small greengrocer in Sheffield by subscribing to a box scheme and by eating vegetarian, we reduce our impact on the plant on an on-going basis. We also compost all our kitchen waste, drive as little as possible, all the usual stuff and we are growing our on food this year. We will soon be free!
Elizabeth, Yorkshire

I recycle lots, although I could do more. I make a point of switching off things I'm not using. I drive a fairly small car, and don't use it when unnecessary. But most importantly of all, I try to spread the word when I get an opportunity. If everyone did the same as I and a few others do, then the problem of global warming would be offset by many decades.
Andy, Stafford, UK

I do not drive, do not own a TV. Compost raw food waste and shredded paper, recycle plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, cans, use plastic containers for seedlings. Re-use shopping bags. Buy farmers' veg. Disconnected central heating in favour of individual room heaters - more turn offable! (it was a cold, but healthier winter!) low-energy bulbs. Work from home... Yet it all feels like a drop in the (rising) ocean.
Mrs Mac, Cornwall

My husband and I have enrolled our forestland in something called "clean and green" which preserves it into the future but denies us any chance to develop and sell it. Obviously we are freely choosing to do this. We love the property and know others will as well after we are gone. The forests are the lungs of the planet and more could have/should have been done around the world to preserve them.
Sharon Schafer, USA

Unnecessary packaging materials accounts for a huge amount of the timber and fossil fuels consumed worldwide James, Sawston, UK

Recycling is to be encouraged as much as possible, but how much better would it be to avoid having to do it in the first place? For example, how many tons of cardboard and plastic will be needlessly committed to providing the fatuous packaging for Easter eggs this year? And what proportion of it will be recycled? The manufacture of unnecessary packaging materials accounts for a huge amount of the timber and fossil fuels consumed worldwide. We should be sending out the message that we don't need umpteen layers of garishly coloured plastic and cardboard surrounding the things we buy.
James, Sawston, UK

I drive a car that does 65mpg. Walk to the shops and don't keep replacing electrical items every coupe of years just because a new version is out. I switch off lights and appliances that are not required, have the heating on only when really cold. All these things I do despite the fact that I know it will have little if any affect due to other people's attitudes.
Paul, Wiveliscombe

Maybe you can learn something from Kenya. Over here, soft drinks are mainly available in glass bottles. Sadly, there's no way I'd consider cycling to work, even though they have showers etc for cyclists, I feel far too vulnerable with the amount of traffic on the roads. Where are these networks of country-wide cycling paths we were promised a few years ago?
Jenzie, Herts

I am a vegetarian, recycle and minimise energy use, but the most I have done to help the environment is to not have children - the sheer number of humans on the planet is the root of these problems and will haunt us when the oil and gas run out.
Peter, Essex, UK

We must be the youngest 'granny trolley' users around Kristy, Watford, UK

We must be the youngest 'granny trolley' users around! It saves on plastic bags, and beats carrying groceries home! My partner's main form of transport is a motorbike, which is much more economical than a car, and I walk and bus to work. We are also quite grateful that the council has introduced a recycling scheme in our area - lugging bottles to the recycling banks is not easy without a car, and the bottles we had saved up (in anticipation of the scheme) were beginning to take over our kitchen!
Kristy, Watford, UK

I won't do one jot of recycling or car sharing or whatever to "save" the environment. When my local authority can't be bothered to set up a sewage treatment works in our valley - so it all gets pumped into the river - and likewise at many coastal towns - raw sewage is pumped into the sea. So until the organisations with the decision making power do something that will actually have an impact on the environment - my meagre few glass bottles, aluminium foil and beer cans will get thrown in the bin with everything else.
Tim, Metz, France

Supermarkets could stop training their till staff to automatically start packing my shopping into a plastic bag. I have two canvas bags that I always take shopping with me, but half the time it's a struggle to get them out before my shopping is half packed away into a plastic carrier. A plastic bag tax like in Ireland would be ideal.
Anon, UK

At home we are always watching the heating and switching lights and other electrical items off. Whilst our home computer is on during the day it runs various bonic programs so the used energy is not just wasted. Also as a school governor I encourage recycling and I ensure that our local community centre recycles all its old bottles from the bar. We have to think long term and not only think next generation but even the next two generations. We will be judged by them in the future by the actions we take today.
Carl Thomson, Stoke on Trent

If we care about the environment, we'd better become vegetarian. Meat consumption is one of the primary causes of environmental devastation, including water depletion, rainforest destruction, air and water pollution. A carnivorous environmentalist is a hypocrite.
Marc Brett, Teddington, UK

Simple things like taking a shower instead of a bath, walk to the station each day instead of being driven there, do not leave the tap running when brushing teeth and hanging clothes to dry instead of using the dryer are all things I happily do. I also use the train and bus to go to work, but must admit that this is probably soon to be a thing of the past. If the government does not make public transport better, and cheaper, expect to see me in a car soon on the M4. It costs me in excess of �15 pounds daily to use the train to work, and then another �2 to use the bus. This amounts to over �250 in travel costs each month, and frankly, I could use the money for much better things, like bills and food!
Ineke, Reading, UK

The Kyoto Protocol really does rely on each individual to make it happen J Reid, Knysna, South Africa

My husband and I and our two boys (4 & 5) live in a home set in woodland which we cleared ourselves (no polluting heavy machinery) and built ourselves by hand without power tools. We have no electricity; we use candles and paraffin (so romantic every day and not just Valentine's) and also have solar energy. All our waste water is reused in the garden. We have no TV so have more time for each other. Life is actually simpler with less material concerns. We are not typical 'greenies, having lived in towns all our lives. If only everyone could realise that the Kyoto Protocol really does rely on each individual to make it happen - a collective mind shift on how we utilise our resources will make a difference. We cannot blame the politicians if the Protocol fails - pure laziness and unwillingness to change and see the bigger picture will be the cause.
J Reid, Knysna, South Africa

We recycle all our plastic bottles, cans, glass, newspapers. We walk to school with the kids, and I then cycle to work. We avoid the supermarkets for routine shopping, so as to be sure of buying local produce. So, whatever we can, we do. There must be more, but we either can't, or don't know about it. Mind you, I've just seen an advert about an energy supplier that uses wind farms rather than power stations. Good. That's another one for us!
Steve Brereton, York, UK

I don't do anything specifically to help the environment, I just avoid wasting the money I've worked hard for. Keeping heating sensible reduces my fuel bills. Driving a relatively economical car keeps my petrol bills down. Keeping the same electrical appliances even when they aren't fashionable any more (since when was a kettle a fashion item anyway?) saves me the cost of buying new ones. Not only does it indirectly benefit the environment but also means I've cleared my mortgage after only six years. Focus on what matters to people and they will comply for their own purposes.
Jonny, England

I walk my kids to school and nursery and back (which easily covers my 10,000 steps a day!). We took the train on a recent trip to London, and our house temperature is 2 degrees lower this year. I am also looking at ways to insulate the house more, considering cavity wall insulation.
A Legge, Leeds, UK

Last summer my kids went on an "environmentally friendly" holiday camp John, England

Last summer my kids (aged then 11 and 14) went on an "environmentally friendly" holiday camp for a week. Planting trees, clearing scrub from chalk grassland, digging a pond (driving a JCB, under supervision of course - great!) and still loads of time for playing footie and mucking about with their mates. Needless to say, they loved it, and were both proud of what they achieved.
John, England

I don't see how me recycling the few papers and bottles I use a month will make any difference at all. The damage is done, let's trash the place and worry about it in a few decades! Oh, hang on, that's what we did in the early nineties and now we're panicking. The USA haven't signed up to it and they're the biggest culprits of global pollution so without them it's pointless.
Pete, Macclesfield, UK

We try to consume local produce and products. Why consume an apple from New Zealand and waste all that fossil fuel to transport it when you could find apples in your neighbourhood? We also have decided against a family trip to Europe. You can emit less CO2 by staying closer to home and travelling less.
Chuck , Pennsylvania

I think we could all enjoy a return to 1950s wartime spirit and save the environment, build communities and pull together in a way that would be beneficial to our personal health, community and the environment - everyone really would be a winner!
Tom, , UK

When I do drive I drive a small eco-friendly car Christian, UK

I regularly recycle newspapers and other paper waste. Also I cycle most places and when I do drive I drive a small eco-friendly car, not a gas guzzling 4x4.
Christian, UK

Not all councils provide recycling facilities! I'd have to drive a good thirty miles to my nearest one. But we do burn, compost, and reuse as much as we possibly can.
John, Wales

Go see the Eden Project - They are teaching everyone how to do it! What's more important is that they are teaching people the effects their efforts have on the environment too!
Jess, Cornwall

When I moved to the UK six years ago I was amazed that I could throw everything in one bin. Having lived in Germany I was used to separating everything for recycling. You get used to having six or seven bins in your kitchen! You can also leave packaging material in the store as they are obliged to recycle it! Your waste is weighed and you pay for what you throw away. This alone teaches people to shop / re-use / recycle more thoughtful. We need a system like this in the UK.
Franziska, Sevenoaks, UK

I'm looking at costs of plug-in mini wind turbine Seonag, Scotland

Composting; re-cycling (longer for the day when we can recycle plastic milk bottles!); using the Co-op (bio-degradable bags for the times when you have a big shop over reusable ones!); low energy bulbs; non-toxic paints/wood preserver. I'm looking at costs of plug-in mini wind turbine (subject to planning permission - can't afford solar panels) and dual fuel conversion for my (necessary) 4x4 (mileage under 8,000/year)- again, even with a grant, very, very expensive. What we need is a very clear and balanced energy policy for this country - totally lacking at present, despite targets being set - that takes into account the real practicalities of a series of very diverse lifestyles.
Seonag, Scotland

If we changed the way we worked it would hugely reduce the amount of pollution produced. Every day, people commute large distances to work in an office where they sit at a desk and use a phone and a computer - which they could do just as easily at home. People drive huge distances, or even fly, to business meetings which last for an hour or two. We should make much more use of communications technology.
Dave, Cambridge UK

The company I work for is an international company and therefore has targets to recycle 95% of our office waste by 2006. We are already at 67% of our waste being recycled most of the rest is plastics and packaging from other companies. If everyone does a little it builds up to be a lot.
Anon, Cambridge UK

I keep my heating at sensible levels rather than keeping my house feeling like a sauna Jonny, England

I'm not interested in having several different bins to sort my rubbish into. Most of my "environmental" moves are more about my personal interest - I keep my heating at sensible levels rather than keeping my house feeling like a sauna (keeping bills down). I walk rather than driving as a matter of course (which saves me time sat in traffic). I'm not interested in recycling because the bins are over a mile away and I don't see the point of smashing a green bottle, melting it down and then forming it into... a green bottle. Why don't they just wash the old one - it's worked for Unigate for decades.
Jonny, England

Our council has provided three separate wheelies for general waste, paper, and glass bottles. However, I'm not convinced it does much good. I'd like to see an energy 'balance sheet' so I could see how much extra energy is used in the recycling process, and if it would be cheaper or less polluting to simply landfill our waste.
Andy H, Cheshire, UK

As well as recycling, using a bike, and composting, I help run a local Freecycle group - people giving away unwanted items rather than throwing them away. It's great to see grassroots movements like this becoming more popular as people recognise that what they do as individuals makes a difference.
Katy, Norwich, UK

We have asked the council for a recycling bin Anon, UK

My work receives three newspapers a day. We have asked the council for a recycling bin but they have said that they do not provide recycling for companies. So, we save them all up and on a Friday afternoon once every few months we take them to the local refuse site for recycling. It beats working!
Anon, UK

The council should charge people on the amount/weight of rubbish that they have collected as 'normal waste' This means that those too lazy to use the recycle boxes the council provide, will have heavier bins and should pay more council tax.
Vikki Ransom, Teesside, UK

My council like some others here provides boxes for us to fill with recyclables which I tend to be very good at filling. It's when you sit there at the window and watch the collection team rummage through it and not take the plastic milk bottles because that haven't been washed out that gets my goat. Why do I bother, I ask?
Marisa, Brighton, UK

I've been recycling most of my newspapers, bottles and cans for several years. But I sense that this is very much the tip of the iceberg and that if we're going to make a difference we'll have to change the way we live far more dramatically. I realise Kyoto is really important and want to make changes, but I need practical information and advice. And right now that seems to be missing. I'd like to see councils, local colleges and charities take the initiative and run some proper courses that can help ordinary folk make some informed decisions. A leaflet stuffed through the letterbox is not enough!
Rich, near Horsham, Sussex

Most collections seem to be on windy days Meg, Grantham

Our council provides stupid little lidless green plastic boxes for paper and plastics which are collected every fortnight. These boxes bring problems. One, they are too big for most of the modern houses around here, so most people tend to keep them outside. The rubbish then attracts vermin and insects in the summer. Two, most collections seem to be on windy days so the stuff is actually recycled onto the road and streets.
Meg, Grantham

Whilst over in my wife's home city of Prague a couple of years ago, we watched in amusement as street residents' efforts to separate their recyclable materials were trashed in an instant. After the collection team had lined up all the different colour-coded wheelie bins, a truck came along moments later, picked them all up and emptied them onto a single mixed pile!
Patrick V. Staton, Guildford, UK

My milk comes in glass bottles, which I return to the dairy for them to reuse.
Lucy Bird, Southampton, Hants

We don't own or use a car, we always take our own shopping bags to the supermarket and we never use the thin plastic bags to hold our fruit and veg when in the supermarket except when absolutely necessary. Of course this being Holland we put all our paper, glass and vegetable waste in the designated recycling bins that are located always within steps of everyone's home.
Jennifer, Netherlands, ex-UK

One way to reduce the number of plastic containers going to the landfill site is to use them to grow seedlings in. Although the number you use is limited, it is better then going to the garden centre and buying plastic containers to start your seeds of and for further growing.
Pete, Deal, Kent

The government must take a lead on this Andrew Purcell, York

Walk, cycle or take the train to work rather than sit in a traffic jam for an hour. But the government must take a lead on this. The proposals to increase train fares to remove overcrowding, and reduce government subsidy of public transport is the opposite to what is required.
Andrew Purcell, York

I think the absolute best way to recycle is to just not throw things away in the first place. Too many people think of old items as disposable, to be discarded when the new model comes out, even though the old one still works fine.
Sam, Leeds

The only way anything will change is when people are prepared to pay real costs for what they consume. The price of consumer goods/ food in this country is far too low. This artificially low price does not accurately represent the true environmental impact that the product has.
Alan Simes, Cambridge

No matter how hard the informed few try to be energy efficient and environment friendly, the majority will not think twice about their levels of consumption as long as the resources exist. The only thing that will protect us from the environmental consequences of our own actions will be the end of cheap oil - assuming supplies are finite - and that will be a crisis in its own right.
Ben, Guildford, Surrey

My wife and I are now only buying fresh food from farmers' markets. The effect of this is that we are reducing packaging waste as the marketers don't use excessive packaging like the supermarkets do, and we are reducing emissions as we are buying local produce rather than goods that have been transported over large distances. We also recycle everything that we can and compost our food scraps etc.
Chris Hurst, Dartford, Kent

My contribution to the environment is through recycling. I save glass bottles, food cans, newspapers and plastic bags. I am also studying sustainable development in business, which I find very interesting.
Steve Mogan, Manchester, England

I've done the obvious things like low-energy light bulbs, fuel efficient car etc. Other alternatives like trying to use solar power (heating) are still very expensive. My pocket won't be able to help my conscience until market forces (or government subsidies) make conversions cheaper and more effective.
Mike Wynne, Winchcombe, UK

The world's resources aren't going to last for the generations that follow ours Julian Oughtibridge, Keadby, North Lincolnshire

Since moving to an area that encourages recycling, my family looked at other items that we would have previously throw away in the refuse bin. Outside we now have bins for glass, cans, card, paper, plastic bottles, carrier bags, and "green" waste to use for compost. By doing this we have reduced our refuse amount from 1 wheeled bin crammed full each week, to 1/2 a bin per fortnight. I know my effort makes just a small amount, but hopefully more people will do this in the future, as the world's resources aren't going to last for the generations that follow ours.
Julian Oughtibridge, Keadby, North Lincolnshire

I recycle paper, glass, clothes, cans, plastic. I walk to work 3 times a week instead of using my car. I use central heating but keep it on low (below 20 c).
Fiona, Scotland

No. Recycling is a waste of time, money, and natural resources. It uses more energy and materials to recycle things than it does to just dump them (except aluminium cans) - and the common myth that we're running out of landfill space is just that, a myth. Look into the numbers if you don't believe me. The best things you can do to help the environment are to use your car less, switch off your lights at night, etc.
Andrew Tait, Aberdeen, UK

Having lived in Germany for 4 years now, I have come to realise how far behind we are in the UK just in terms of recycling. When I left the UK I had 1 bin and sometimes if I had time at the weekends I would take the paper and glass to the local recycling centre. Over here, I have 4 bins - one for general waste (the smallest), 1 for food and other bio de-gradable products, 1 for plastics and 1 for paper. There is a regular schedule for these being collected - some weekly, some fortnightly. As for glass, pretty much everything has a "Pfand" (deposit) of up to 25 Euro cents and these can be taken back to petrol stations or supermarkets. If there is no deposit, then there are hundreds of places where you can drop it into the recycle bins.
Alistair Ball, Ratingen, Germany

Your photo makes me laugh. The lady has probably driven her car from her centrally-heated gadget-filled house to the bottle bank which stands on the tarmac-ed supermarket car park, where she'll then go and stock up on more goodies. It sums up the lack of understanding of how completely the modern world inherently pollutes.
Douglas, Milton Keynes, UK

I compost every bit of food that I have and I pack my garden full of plants. I have also undertaken a degree in Biotech. With science, the planet can be cured.
Mark, Brisbane, Australia

Our local council provides recycling bins for paper, glass and plastic (inc plastic bags) which is fantastic. It means that those who wouldn't usually recycle do so. They also provide cheap composters for those with gardens. More local councils should provide services like these. People like my Grandma couldn't cart all her papers, bottles, etc to a recycling point and used to throw them away - now it all goes to be recycled.
Lianne, Manchester

Every council provides a standard refuge service at least once per week - and in that at least 50% can be re-cycled. Therefore the government should provide money so that councils can give residents 2 more wheelie bins (one for paper/plastic and one for glass) and then arrange certain dates for it to be collected. I know this happens in one or two forward thinking regions... but not quite got to most!
Colin Grant, Manchester, UK

I think it is our responsibility to do as much as we can in terms of the environment. I do not own a car, and currently travel mostly by train, bicycle and walking. Soon I plan to move away from the train so that my main mode of transport is bicycle. Every little bit helps, and while nobody can be 100% perfect when it comes to the environment there are simple changes that each of us can make without any reduction in quality of life (while actually helping to prevent future reductions in quality of life due to problems such as global warming).
David Squires, Croydon, England

I get very depressed by the incredible number of plastic bags people use. Unless you ask otherwise, your shopping is always put into new bags. These are used once (or possibly a second time as a bin bag) and then end up blowing about for ever on a landfill site. I always have a couple of lightweight nylon carrier bags with me if I go shopping, and I reckon this avoids clogging the environment with a further several hundred bags a year.
Susan, Wokingham, UK