The
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (
UNFCCC) is an
international environmental treaty negotiated at the
Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992, then entered into force on 21 March 1994. The UNFCCC objective is to "stabilize
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the
climate system". The framework set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms. Instead, the framework outlines how specific international treaties (called "protocols" or "Agreements") may be negotiated to set binding limits on greenhouse gases.