The international community has recognized climate change as a worldwide problem affecting all of humanity. At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the first international Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Climate Convention, was adopted. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted as an additional agreement containing concrete and binding greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives.

Liechtenstein is situated in the middle of the Alps. Observations and model calculations indicate that the effects of climate change on the Alpine region will be above average. The consequences of climate change will, however, likely hit developing countries the hardest, since they lack the means for costly protective measures. Liechtenstein is aware of its shared responsibility and is engaged in climate protection at the national and international levels.

Liechtenstein has been a State Party to the Climate Convention since 1994 and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2004. Like Switzerland and the EU, Liechtenstein commits itself upon ratification to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 8% compared to 1990 level.

At the national level, measures are taken in particular in the areas of environmental, energy, transport, agricultural, and forestry policy. Liechtenstein regularly submits reports to the Climate Convention Secretariat on the current status of its implementation of the Climate Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.

Further information and links:

• National Climate Report Liechtenstein 2010 (english (PDF, 1.43 MB))
• National Climate Report Liechtenstein 2005 (english (PDF, 648.39 KB))
• National Climate Protection Strategy 2007 (only in German (PDF, 337.47 KB) available)
• Interpellation in Parlament concerning the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, April 2010 (only in German (PDF, 2.38 MB) available)
• Text of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (english (PDF, 80.89 KB))
• Text of the Kyoto Protocol (english (PDF, 74.92 KB))
• Office of Environmental Protection