Horizon Power :: The Kyoto Protocol

The United Nations developed a Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Australia ratified the Convention in December 1992. The Convention entered into force on 21 March 1994, and was signed by a total of 165 nations, which agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to the 1990 level by the year 2000.

The FCCC came about because it was internationally recognised that the enhanced Greenhouse Effect caused by human activity was a reality, and left unchecked, could result in climate change with unknown outcomes. It was also recognised that no one country could tackle the problem alone.

Regular meetings, called Conferences of Parties (COP), are held to progress the objectives of the FCCC. At the second Conference of Parties (COP2), held in Berlin in 1995, it was realised that the target agreed to in Rio would not be sufficient to stop climate changes. More needed to be done.

COP3 was held in Kyoto, Japan and concluded in December 1997. The main aim of this conference was for countries to commit themselves to reduce greenhouse gases beyond the initial year 2000 targets. This conference agreed on a protocol to the FCCC, which became known as the Kyoto Protocol. This agreement basically said that developed countries, as a group, will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by at least five percent on average over the period 2008-2012.

To find out more about Australia's position on the Kyoto Protocol and what Australia is doing in response to the Greenhouse Effect visit the Australian Greenhouse Office.