Kyoto Protocol — international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The Kyoto Protocol was the first binding international treaty requiring developed nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, establishing the framework for global climate action.
Key Facts
- Adoption date
- 11 December 1997
- Entry into force
- 16 February 2005
- Parties in 2020
- 192 countries
- First commitment period
- 2008–2012
- Countries with 1st-period targets
- 36 fully participated, all complied
- Global emissions change 1990–2010
- +32%
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Growing scientific consensus through the late 1980s and early 1990s established that human-generated carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were driving global warming. The 1992 UNFCCC provided a foundational framework but lacked binding emission targets, prompting negotiations for a more enforceable agreement among industrialized nations.
On 11 December 1997, delegates at the UNFCCC Conference in Kyoto, Japan, adopted the Kyoto Protocol, which set legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets for developed nations. The protocol covered seven gases and rested on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, holding historically high-emitting industrialized countries to stricter obligations than developing nations.
All 36 countries with first-period targets complied by 2012, though global emissions still rose 32% from 1990 to 2010 due to growth in non-participating developing nations. A second commitment period was extended to 2020 via the Doha Amendment, and subsequent negotiations led to the 2015 Paris Agreement, which replaced Kyoto as the primary instrument of international climate governance.
Political Outcome
Adopted as a binding treaty requiring developed nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions; first commitment period (2008–2012) achieved compliance among all 36 participating countries; succeeded by the Paris Agreement in 2015.
No binding international obligations on developed nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Developed nations subject to legally binding emission reduction targets under international law