Although 2002 saw the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by more than one hundred countries, the year was more characterised by two negative trends: first, the change in the US position from benevolent laissez-faire to an outright obstruction of the Kyoto Protocol, and, second, the worsening of relations between developing countries and the European Union, where temperatures reached an all-time low at the climate conference in New Delhi.
The article by Hermann E. Ott in the Yearbook of International Environmental Law provides an overview of international climate policy in 2002 and the climate conference in New Delhi (COP 8). In addition, it provides an outlook on the chances and challenges ahead.