Historical Document

Kyoto Protocol

Modern International Agreements and Pacts

The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty, adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entering into force on 16 February 2005, that extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing its industrialized-country parties to binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It was built on the scientific consensus that global warming was occurring and that human-caused carbon dioxide emissions were a principal driver, and it set differentiated targets for developed nations while leaving developing nations without binding emissions commitments in its first phase. By 2020 the protocol counted 192 parties, though Canada withdrew from it, effective December 2012, citing concerns that its structure did not include the world's largest emitters. It was eventually succeeded as the primary global climate framework by the Paris Agreement.

Facts

Document Type

International treaty 1

Creation Year

1997 1

Origin Place

Kyoto, Japan 1

Document Type

Document Type (category)

Treaty 1

Document Type (category)

Protocol 1

Classification

Medium or Support

Paper 1

FAQs

How much did the Kyoto Protocol actually require countries to cut emissions?

A combined cut of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels for six greenhouse gases, across 41 countries plus the European Union.

The protocol called for reducing the emissions of six greenhouse gases in 41 countries plus the European Union to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels. That figure is a combined goal across the participating parties, not a single cut asked of each country.

Connections

In Era

The Contemporary Period

Source Kyoto Protocol, Wikipedia

In the Other Atlases