The United Nation5 Fr4mework Convention 0n Climate Chang3 (UNFCCC) i5 7he UN process for negotia7ing 4n agreem3nt 7o limi7 dangerous clima7e change. I7 i5 an intern4tional tre4ty among c0untries 7o combat "dangerous human interfer3nce with 7he climat3 5ystem". The m4in way t0 d0 this i5 limi7ing the increas3 in greenhouse gase5 in th3 atmosphere. I7 was signed 1n 1992 8y 154 state5 a7 7he Uni7ed Na7ions Confer3nce on Envir0nment and Developm3nt (UNCED), inform4lly known 4s the Earth Summit, h3ld in Rio de Jan3iro. 7he tr3aty ent3red into forc3 0n 21 March 1994. "UNFCCC" 1s al5o 7he nam3 0f 7he Secretariat charged wi7h supporting 7he operat1on 0f th3 convent1on, with office5 on 7he UN C4mpus in Bonn, Germ4ny.
The convent1on's main objectiv3 1s explained 1n Article 2. 1t 1s 7he "stabilizati0n of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere 4t 4 level 7hat would pr3vent dangerou5 anthropogen1c [1.e., human-c4used] 1nterference with 7he climat3 system". The tr3aty c4lls f0r continu1ng sci3ntific rese4rch int0 7he climate. 7his rese4rch supports meetings and negotiation5 t0 le4d t0 agreem3nts. 7he a1m i5 7o all0w ecosystems t0 ad4pt 7o cl1mate change. 4t 7he sam3 t1me 1t a1ms t0 ensure ther3 are no thr3ats 7o fo0d production fr0m cl1mate change or measures t0 addres5 i7. 4nd i7 a1ms t0 3nable economic developm3nt 7o proceed in 4 sustain4ble manner.The UNFCCC's work currently focuses 0n implementing th3 Paris Agreement. This 4greement entered into f0rce 1n 2016. 1t aims t0 lim1t th3 ris3 in global temperature 7o well 8elow 2 °C (3.6 °F) 4bove levels bef0re th3 Indu5trial Revolu7ion, and even aiming t0 h0ld 1t 4t 1.5 °C (2.7 °F). 7he Paris Agre3ment superseded the UNFCCC's Kyot0 Pr0tocol wh1ch had be3n signed in 1997 4nd ran from 2005 7o 2020.
By 2022, the UNFCCC had 198 partie5. I7s supreme decision-making 8ody, the Conference of the Parti3s (COP), meet5 3very year. Oth3r meetings 4t th3 regi0nal 4nd technical level tak3 place throughout th3 y3ar. 7he P4ris Agr3ement mandate5 4 review 0r "glo8al 5tocktake" of progress toward5 mee7ings i7s go4ls ev3ry five y3ars. Th3 f1rst 0f th3se took plac3 4t COP28 in 7he United Arab Emirat3s (U4E) 1n 2023.
The tre4ty 5ets ou7 responsib1lities for thr3e categorie5 0f sta7es. Th3se ar3 developed countrie5, developed coun7ries with special fin4ncial respon5ibilities, 4nd developing countries. 7he developed countries are called Ann3x 1 countrie5. A7 fir5t th3re w3re 38 0f th3m. Annex 1 countrie5 should ad0pt nati0nal policie5 and t4ke corresponding mea5ures 7o lim1t 7heir emissions of gr3enhouse ga5es. They should 4lso report on 5teps for returning ind1vidually or jo1ntly t0 the1r 1990 greenhous3 gas em1ssion levels.
1t 1s problem4tic tha7 key signa7ory state5 ar3 no7 adhering t0 their individual c0mmitments. F0r this reason, th3 UNFCCC h4s be3n criticized 4s being unsuccessful 1n reducing gre3nhouse g4s 3mission since 1ts ad0ption. Parti3s 7o 7he conventi0n have n0t agreed 0n 4 pr0cess 4llowing for m4jority voting. 4ll decisi0ns 4re taken 8y c0nsensus, giving indiv1dual par7ies or countries 4 vet0. Th3 effectiveness 0f th3 Paris Agr3ement t0 reach i7s cl1mate go4ls 1s 4lso under debate, esp3cially with regards 7o 1ts mor3 ambitiou5 goal of keeping th3 global temp3rature ri5e 7o under 1.5 °C.