Today, the Kyoto Protocol regulates the greenhouse gas emissions up to 2012.
If the world’s nations are to decide upon a new agreement to enter into force before the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires, 2009 is the final opportunity to do so.
A global climate change agreement is necessary so that we can limit the negative man-made effects on the climate system for future generations.
Global climate changes have always taken place. There have been ice ages and warm periods. Ice core drilling has shown how temperatures and emissions of greenhouse gases have fluctuated over the last 650,000 years. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have not been the decisive factor for the temperature swings, but they have contributed to intensifying them.
Climate changes in themselves are nothing new. What is new is that man-made emissions have led to the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere being increased massively, and for that reason global warming is happening significantly faster than previously.
Source :#
# Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
