It was back in the 19th century, when the scientific community started to debate about the effects that an accumulation of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere could create: a “greenhouse effect” that would make increase the temperature of the planet.  This process was a side-effect of the industrial age and its production of carbon dioxide and other such "greenhouse gases."

By the middle of the 20th century, it was becoming clear that human action had significantly increased the production of these gases, and the process of “global warming” was accelerating. In the sixties environmental issues started to receive serious attention by the major UN organs, but it was only in 1972 that a UN conference was dedicated to environmental issues. Held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972, the UN Scientific Conference, also known as the 1st Earth Summit, adopted a declaration setting out the principles for the preservation of our environment. This led to a first UN action plan that contained recommendations for international environmental action. Another outcome of the 1st Eart Summit was the establishment of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with its secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya.