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What exactly ARE the UNFCCC & the Kyoto Protocol?
In 1992, countries from around the world, including the United States, signed the United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—an international treaty addressing the issue of global warming. To date, 192 nations have ratified the treaty.
In 1997, at a meeting in Kyoto, Japan, the UNFCCC was strengthened by an amendment that set legally binding targets and timelines for reducing global warming pollution from developed nations. The "Kyoto Protocol" entered into force in 2005 and has been ratified by all industrialized countries—except the United States.
The Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Therefore, a new framework of deeper emission reductions needs to be developed and approved. Countries hope to leave Indonesia with a "Bali Roadmap" that will lay out this new framework and, for the first time, include guidelines for developing as well as developed countries.
Other Resources
Official Site of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
This is the official website of the UNFCCC Secretariat. The site is a virtual clearinghouse of climate change information. It includes the full text (PDF) of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, a climate change information kit with information about the science and the impacts of climate change, and information on technology solutions. Also available are official documents and information on specific countries.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in recognition of the problem of global warming. Through the IPCC, climate experts from around the world synthesize the most recent climate science findings every five to seven years and present their report to the world’s political leaders.
The IPCC met in November to develop the Synthesis Report of its Fourth Assessment (AR4) (pdf), which is an integration of the findings of the previous three reports issued earlier in 2007. This latest report shows that the scientific evidence is clear that we must take strong action today to avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change—from rising sea levels to heat waves to water resource stress. The report will be an important foundation for policymakers as they meet in Bali.
Highlights from the IPCC's Assessment Reports:
Working Group I: Climate Change Science
Working Group II: Climate Change Impacts
Working Group III: Climate Change Mitigation | 
