The issue of climate change was already being discussed in the 1980s as scientists raised alarm over the world's increasing emission of manmade green house gases (GHGs), the main cause of global warming. In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), began to look into the effects of manmade GHG emissions on climate change. Following the release of the IPCC findings in 1990, the United Nations initiated the process of convening countries with the goal of reducing man-made GHG emissions and helping countries adapt to climate change. It was not until two years later, in May 1992, that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1 (UNFCCC) was launched. The UNFCCC is an international treaty, and was opened for signature in the same year. It entered into force in March 1994, and is presently signed by 192 countries.
Countries that signed the UNFCCC committed to develop and implement strategies to reduce GHG emissions, as well as to adapt to climate change. They agreed to establish and regularly share updated information on national GHG inventories as a way of monitoring over-all GHG emissions and monitoring the progress of the UNFCCC. The Convention also recognizes that climate change is already happening and that there is a need to help those who are affected by it, especially the developing countries. At the same time, it requires developed countries to provide financial and technological resources to help developing countries fulfill their commitment under the Convention.
In the main, parties to the Convention agreed to cooperate on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation refers to actions and interventions that reduce man-made GHG emissions while adaptation focuses on helping people and communities cope with the adverse effects of climate change.
