Future prospects
Energy and Climate

Climate negotiations are conducted within the framework of the United Nations' annual conferences on climate change (Conference of Parties or COP). The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, marked the first stage in the establishment of a voluntary agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO ₂ . Its objectives were relatively modest, aiming to reduce CO ₂ emissions by 5.2% between 2008 and 2012, compared with the 1990 emission levels of 38 countries considered industrialized. The absence of commitments from countries like China, which had been considered developing countries, made it lose much of its significance.

The negotiations...