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First World Climate Conference
Climate change was officially recognised as a serious problem needing an international response -
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Collaborative body formed comprising of over 2000 climate scientists.
Main activity is to provide at regular intervals an assessment of the state of knowledge on climate change -
First IPCC Report
Report confirmed that climate change was a reality and was supported by scientific data -
UNFCCC signed by 154 governments at the Rio Earth Summit
Governments were voluntarily committed to developing national strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2000 -
First UNFCC Conference
Governments realised that voluntary commitments were inadequate and work started to draft a protocol for adoption and the third conference for parties of parties in 1997 -
Second IPCC report
Concludes that the balance of evidence suggests a descernible human influence on the global climate -
The Kyoto Protocol was signed by some 160 nations
Protocol calls for the first ever legally binding commitments to reduce carbon dioxide and other green house gasses -
Third IPCC Report
States that antropogrnic emissions will raise temperature by 5.8 degrees Celsius by 2050 -
Kyoto Protocol is still unaffective
To be affective atleast 55 countries have to raitify and there must be enough annex 1 countries which together are accountable for more than 55% of the emissions -
Kyoto treaty goes into affect
Work to retard emissions accelerates in Japan, Western Europe, US regional governments and corporations. -
Fourth IPCC Report
Warns that serious effects of warming have become evident -
Global economic crisis
Reduction in international will to negotiate on carbon emissions reductions as national economies fall but this fall results in lower GHG emissions from industry -
China overtook the USA as the country with the largest greenhouse gas emissions
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Milestone of 400 ppm carbon dioxide in atmosphere reached
Pause in warning explained as oceans have continued to warm -
Fifth IPCC Report
Has the strongest warning yet that global warning is happening