"Research on climate change during the 1970s and 1980s exposed the dangers associated with global warming. Since then, several different strategies have been offered by local, national and international communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This article traces the history of climate policy in the United Nations as well as the United States to identify trends in greenhouse gas regulation and the efficacy of these various approaches. The European Union's experimentation with cap-and-trade under the Kyoto protocol raises concerns that must be overcome in any future international strategy regulating emissions. In this vein, the United States is looking to market-based alternatives. Any new international climate regulation must focus on several interlinked policy goals to be successful."

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