Climate Change The Road to Rio

In 1985, WMO and UNEP, in cooperation with the International Council of Scientific Unions, convened a scientific conference in Villach, Austria, that attracted political notice when it concluded  

The negotiations proved very difficult, since greenhouse gas emissions were inextricably linked with energy, industry, land use, and transportation policies — the building blocks of modern economies, both North and South. The interrelated aspects of the problem meant that there were no c]uick or obvious solutions. Mitigation policies would entail major changes in the ways that people lived, worked, and consumed. 

Nations would have to significantly reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, which accounted for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural practices that caused emissions of nitrous oxide and methane would need to be modified. The widespread destruction of forests and savannas would have to be curtailed, as these practices not only released carbon dioxide but also removed 

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