kyoto protocol

  • 1995

    The first UN climate change conference (COP) took place in Berlin, after a large number of countries ratified the climate convention. The conference and a subsequent meeting led to the Kyoto conference, which was set up by the Berlin Mandate agreement and the COP's acceptance of the UN's scientific finding that human activity affects the global climate.
  • Period: to

    kyoto protocol

    The Kyoto Protocol was an international agreement that called for industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly. Russia and Canada formally ratified the Kyoto Protocol at COP-10 in Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires Plan of Action was also adopted to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
  • 1997

    The Kyoto Protocol was written at COP3 in Kyoto, and was the world's first treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized countries. The protocol was adopted on December 11, 1997, but due to a complex ratification process, it didn't officially go into effect until February 16, 2005, during UNFCCC COP 11 in Montreal.
  • 2004

    Russia and Canada formally ratified the Kyoto Protocol at COP-10 in Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires Plan of Action was also adopted to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
  • 2011

    COP17 set 2015 as the deadline for a revised CO2 reduction treaty to replace and improve on the Kyoto Protocol.
  • 2012

    At COP18 in Doha, Qatar, the deadline was extended to 2020, and the Doha Amendment was passed, which set a more ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 18% compared to 1990 levels for participating countries. The Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period ran from 2008 to 2012, and was extended by the Doha Amendment.