The Third Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP3) will take place in Kyoto, Japan, from December 1 to 10.

Nearly 5,000 people from over 170 countries and regions are expected to come to the meeting to forge an agreement on curbing emissions of "greenhouse gases"--which trap heat and cause the Earth's temperature to rise--beyond the year 2000.

COP1 was held in March-April 1995 in Berlin. It was held after the framework convention was adopted at the May 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The second session, COP2, was held in July 1996 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The convention aims to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane at levels that won't cause the Earth's climate to change in a dangerous way. As of May 1997, 166 nations and the European Union were parties to the convention.