EU member states, which signed the 1992 United Nations agreement on climate change, ratified the Kyoto protocol in 1997.
The European Union has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 8% by 2012, particularly by developing renewable energies. The European directive adopted in October 2001 aims to lift the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources from 14% in 1997
to 22% by 2010.
In 2004, Russia in turn ratified the Kyoto protocol.
On 16 February 2005 the Kyoto protocol entered into force.