UN Climate Change Conference, Montreal

The UN-sponsored conference in Montreal to enact the Kyoto Protocol ended with mixed results. While more than 150 countries agreed to launch formal talks after 2012 (the Kyoto deadline for reducing greenhouse gases), the United States only accepted reluctantly to enter a `dialogue` on future steps to combat climate change. America`s proposal specifically rules out `negotiations leading to new commitments`, by the world`s largest environmental polluter.