On this day in history: SA signs the Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto protocol was the first agreement between nations to dictate how countries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
On 31 July 2003, South Africa signed the Kyoto Protocol in a bid to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The protocol commits those involved to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, based on the assumption that global warming exists and that the cause is man-made carbon-dioxide emissions.
The protocol was first adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. By 16 February 2005, it was in full force. There are currently 192 signatories to the protocol.
See also:
•Today in history: Bang Bang Club photographer commits suicide
•Get ready for the warmest winter of your life
•The Pacific trash vortex – do you know what it is?
