Background to the talks

there is new and stronger evidence that most of the [global] warming observed over the last fifty years is attributable to human activities

Climate Change 2001
UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement on climate change signed in Japan in 1997. It commits industrialised nations - such as the UK - to cutting their emissions of greenhouse gases - like carbon dioxide - which are causing dangerous climate change.

Although the agreement has been signed by over 100 countries - it has yet to be ratified by the majority of these countries. Ratification (adoption by national governments) is needed for the Kyoto Protocol to come into force.

Since the Kyoto Protocol was agreed - many countries have actually increased their carbon dioxide emissions. The longer we wait to ratify the agreement the harder it will be to meet the Protocol's targets.

Climate talks in Bonn

Since the collapse of talks in The Hague last November and the election of President Bush - the US have decided not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Climate protesters at the EU summit in Gothenburg

Without the US, a decision not to ratify by other industrialised nations - like Japan and Australia - could block the Protocol. The talks in Bonn are likely to focus on whether the treaty can be ratified by September 2002.

Related links

• Science of Climate Change (PDF†)
  - revised version coming soon (in light of recent UN publication - Climate Change 2001)
• Politics of Climate Change (PDF†)

What Friends of the Earth thinks >

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

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