The United States, one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases along with China, has historically declined to commit to binding targets for emission reduction. While it is one of the countries that pioneered the establishment of the IPCC in 1988 and is the first industrialized country to ratify the UNFCCC in 1992, it has not been supportive of measures – both international and national – calling for the reduction of its carbon footprint. The US also did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which calls on industrialized countries to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by 5% compared to 1990 levels.