The Annual Conference of the UNO on climate change opened in Buenos Aires on Monday, 13 December, in the presence of representatives of 189 countries and over 400 international institutions and non-governmental organizations. On the order of the day: the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions (its entry into force is scheduled for 16 February 2005), aid to the developing countries suffering from the effects of atmospheric change and a preliminary analysis of future policies. The European Union represented by the Commissioner of the Environment Stavros Dimas has presented its own system of trading emission quotas that comes into force on 1st January 2005, unique of its kind in the world. The EU, moreover, has led the negotiations to support the policies for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the developing countries and obtained the UN’s backing and that of other countries (USA and Russia in primis) to begin the first informal discussions on the future international programme of action against climate change. On the Conference, consult the website: http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_10/items/2944.php
