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Scientific evidence of human interference with the climate first emerged in the international public arena in 1979 at the First World Climate Conference (see timelines). As public awareness of environmental issues continued to increase in the 1980s, governments grew even more concerned about climate issues. In 1988 the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 43/53, proposed by the Government of Malta, urging: "... protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind."

This handbook provides an overview of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the Convention) as of August 2006. It focuses on the institutional framework of the Convention and the actions taken by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP). It touches on some aspects of the Kyoto Protocol but it is first and foremost a handbook to the Convention.