ARE THERE ANY INTERNATIONAL POLICIES IN PLACE THAT MONITOR COUNTRIES WITH REGARD TO EMISSIONS? ARE THESE EFFECTIVE?

Yes, monitoring policies exemplified by the Kyoto treaty do exist. The
Kyoto treaty is a convention whereby developed countries commit
themselves to reducing their emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse
gasses to 1990 levels by 2002. The efficacy of this treaty and other
existing policies however, is questionable. The following loopholes are
evident:

Ratification by developed countries is not compulsory.

The U.S, which has the world's highest total and per capita CO2
emissions, refuses to ratify the treaty.

Countries are not physically monitored (e.g. as in the International
Atomic Energy Agency- IAEA), hence the purpose of the treaty can and
probably is compromised.
Hence treaties such as Kyoto are not as effective as it could be.

Dane McDonald
Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
University of the Western Cape
Private Bag X17
Bellville 7535