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The Rio Earth Summit in 1992, was eventful and epoch making for reasons more than one. At the Summit , the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to stabilise emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels by the year 2000, in an attempt to mitigate the threat of global warming. Following this a historic agreement to actually cut emissions was agreed in December 1997 in Kyoto , Japan , at the third Conference of Parties to the FCCC. Industrial nations agreed to reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% from 1990 levels by the period 2008 to 2012.

Crucially, the Kyoto Protocol committed developed countries to make legally binding reductions in their Green House Gas emissions (GHGs).
The six GHGs are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, replacements to the hydrochoroflourocarbons (HCFCs) - the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride.
 
Background


The Kyoto Protocol supplements and strengthens the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change C onvention. Countries, which are a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted the protocol in 1997. Till now around 188 countries have ratified this convention and many more in the stage of doing that. The Kyoto protocol is based on the general framework established by the convention, sharing its ultimate objective and principles, as well as its grouping of countries into Annex I, Annex II and non Annex I Parties. The Kyoto Protocol will share the Convention's Institution, including its two subsidiary bodies and secretariat, while convention Conference of Parties will serve as the "meeting of the Parties" to the Protocol, forming the body known as the COP/MOP.


The GEF (Global Environment Fund), operating as the Convention's financial mechanism, will also channel funding to developing countries under the Kyoto Protocol, while IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is expected to play a similarly important role in support of the protocol as it does for the Convention through scientific, technical and methodological work.

Key elements of Kyoto Protocol
 
The Kyoto Protocol in general, requires the developed countries to reduce their emissions to an average of 5.2 percent below the 1990 levels by 2012.
 
The objective of the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere within a timeframe sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner .
 
Under the Convention, developed countries are to take a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Protocol provides measures for the interchange of technology and information, the calculation of control levels, evaluation, and reviews progress achieved.
 
To stimulate and promote the implementation of its agreements, the Protocol creates a Multilateral Fund to support technological conversion.
 
Countries would meet regularly at meetings referred to as a "Conference of the Parties" or "COP" to discuss the implementation of the Conventions objectives.
 
 
     
   
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