Kyoto Protocol

This is an international agreement struck by 159 nations attending the Third Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (held in December of 1997 in Kyoto Japan) to reduce worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases. It was ratified and came into force in 2003 when the minimum number of countries and a minimum level of total global emissions were committed to the Protocol. The Protocol will remain in force until 2012, when it will be replaced with new binding agreements to reduce global emissions.