The Kyoto Protocol comes into effect on Wednesday, 16 February 2005. This is ninety days after the Russian Duma gave its formal ratification.

Kofi Annan made a statement yesterday. The UNFCCC issued a press release outlining the requirements from February 16.

The complete text of the Kyoto Protocol can be found at the UNFCCC's website.

Following Russia's ratification, only four industrialised countries have failed to do so to date. Two are small in size, the other two small in mentality: Liechtenstein, Monaco, the United States of America, and Australia.