• Climate change
  • The greenhouse effect
  • Impacts of climate change
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • The global response
  • Australia's response
  • Western Power's response
• Energy and the local environment
  • Planning new infrastructure
• Energy and the future

Home Page > Environment matters > Climate change > The global response

The global response

Since the early 1990’s, the greenhouse effect has received world recognition as more people have realised it could result in destructive outcomes. No one country can tackle the problem alone.

Major agreements:

• 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change - 154 nations signed the FCCC and agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to the 1990 level by 2000. (For more information on the FCCC, go to http://www.globelaw.com/Climate/fcc.htm)
• 1995 Conference of Parties – at a meeting in Berlin to check the progress of the FCCC objectives, it was realised that the first global target would not be enough to stop climate change. More needed to be done. (For more information on the COP, go to http://www.unfccc.int)
• 1997 Kyoto Protocol – under this agreement, developed nations are to reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions to an average of 95% of their 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. (For more information on the Kyoto Protocol, go to http://www.unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php)