After nearly four drawn out days of intense talks in Bonn, 178 signatories to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change forged an accord on operating rules for the Kyoto Protocol.
Although eight months tardy, the agreement -- which originally was to have been cemented at climate talks in The Hague in November -- increases the chances the protocol will be put into force on schedule by 2002.
Signatories have agreed upon a framework for trimming greenhouse gases. Knowing how much, by when and by what means greenhouse gases should be trimmed may pave the way for the development of greenhouse gas reduction plans in each country, ratification of the document and, ultimately, implementation of the protocol.