The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement adopted in late 1997, at the Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was adopted by the international community to curb the current global climate crisis and to promote sustainable development. The treaty sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European Union for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which threatens the atmosphere and the planet.

The purpose of the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce the effect that human activity has on climate change. The protocol does this by setting targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The reduction targets set by the treaty are based on a scientific consensus that humans are contributing to global warming and climate change. Countries that are party to the agreement are required to reduce their emissions significantly below 1990 levels. In general terms, this means that the industrialized nations that have signed the agreement have to reduce their emissions of six GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride) by an average of 5.2 percent by 2012.

Although the agreement has met with criticism from certain industrialized countries – in particular, the United States – over economic costs, it has also provided a framework for cooperation on climate change. The Kyoto Protocol was meant to be a first step in the effort to protect the environment and to set a base for more effective future climate agreements. Over 160 countries around the world have ratified the agreement, which is one of the most far-reaching and binding treaties ever concluded.

The agreement was supplemented in 2012 with the Doha Amendment and then updated with the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, which many countries signed. The Paris Agreement has no set targets for reducing emissions and instead emphasizing the “intended nationally determined contributions” (INDCs) of each participating country. The Paris Agreement is seen as more comprehensive and less harsh than the Kyoto Protocol as it allows each country to set their own goals and create their own strategies for achieving those targets.

Since its inception, the world has made tremendous progress in reducing GHG emissions, but there continues to be a long road ahead. Climate talks are ongoing and international and regional organizations are continuing to negotiate and finalize further commitments. Campaigns such as “The Green New Deal”, led by leading climate activists, have also put forth ambitious proposals for GHG reductions in order to meet the Paris Agreement's goals. Ultimately, it's up to the world's leaders to stay true to their commitments and continue to join forces in the fight against the global climate-change crisis.