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car fumes In 1997 the Kyoto treaty was set up to consider what could be done to reduce Global warming. The treaty was established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) involving most world countries with the exception of America. The attempt to reach a new international settlement on greenhouse gas emissions to follow on from the Kyoto Protocol is seen as the single most important issue within the field of international climate change politics. In the intervening years, as the scientific understanding of climate change and its likely impacts become clearer, a number of nations have approved an addition to the Kyoto Protocol, in order to standardise a number of more powerful and legally binding measures. In May 2006 the Bonn Conference saw delegates from 165 countries meet to discuss how to further strengthen international cooperation to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases and to respond to climate change impacts. The Conference also highlighted issues faced by less industrialised countries who also face problems related to climate change. In Canada's Arctic region, the changes noted by the Inuit community - such as melting permafrost, changes in sea ice and the arrival of new migratory animal species - has raised the need to address adaptation measures. The findings of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reinforced the widespread consensus that action was required quickly to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. At the 2008 G8 summit in Toyako, Japan leaders agreed a statement on climate change which referred to ‘the vision’ of achieving at least a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 while scientists met in Copenhagen in March 2009 hoping to present the most up to date research on all aspects of climate science and inform international negotiations which are expected to take place at the end of 2009.
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