Iceland's 2002 signature finally triggered the world's most important climate treaty
The Kyoto Protocol sat in limbo for years until Iceland's ratification finally met the strict requirements needed to bring the world's first major climate change treaty into legal force.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol faced a difficult road to implementation because of a specific '55 parties' clause. For the treaty to become legally binding, it required at least 55 countries to sign on, including enough developed nations to account for 55 percent of global carbon emissions. In 2002, Iceland became the crucial 55th nation to ratify the agreement.
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