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| Paris Accords | |
|---|---|
| Name | Paris Accords |
| Type | International environmental agreement |
| Date signed | 2015-12-12 |
| Location signed | Paris |
| Effective date | 2016-11-04 |
| Parties | 196 |
| Depositor | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
Paris Accords
The Paris Accords are an international agreement reached at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris that aims to limit global temperature rise and strengthen climate resilience; the Accords build on earlier instruments such as the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and involve commitments by states including the United States, China, India, European Union, and Brazil. The Accords were negotiated amid global debates involving actors like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Greenpeace International, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and national delegations such as those from France, Germany, Russia, and Australia. The framework influences policy arenas including carbon pricing initiatives, renewable energy deployment, and climate finance mechanisms involving entities like the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility.
Negotiations that produced the Accords drew on precedents including the Kyoto Protocol, the Rio Earth Summit, the Montreal Protocol, and the Marrakesh Accords, while technical assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and analyses by the International Energy Agency, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, and research institutions such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration informed targets and scenarios. Historical drivers included extreme events cited in reports from Hurricane Katrina, the 2003 European heat wave, the 2010 Russian wildfires, and diplomatic shifts exemplified by the United States–China Joint Announcement on Climate Change. Civil society actors such as 350.org, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth International, and industry groups like the World Business Council for Sustainable Development also shaped the political context.
The Accords were finalized at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with key diplomatic roles played by the host nation France, the conference president Laurent Fabius, delegations from the United States, China, India, Brazil, and bloc actors such as the European Union and African Group. Negotiation milestones included prior gatherings at COPs such as COP3 in Kyoto, COP15 in Copenhagen, and preparatory meetings in Bonn and Doha; negotiations involved policy tools referenced by experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and finance discussions engaging the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank. Adoption procedures followed UN treaty processes administered by the UNFCCC Secretariat and signatures by states at events associated with the United Nations and the French Republic.
Major elements include nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted by countries such as the United States, China, India, European Union, and Japan; a long-term goal to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels with efforts toward 1.5 °C as advocated by small island states like Kiribati and Maldives; a transparency framework influenced by protocols from the Kyoto Protocol and reporting practices of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; adaptation provisions reflecting priorities of the Least Developed Countries and the African Union; and financial commitments involving the Green Climate Fund, bilateral initiatives by the United States and Germany, and multilateral lending by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The Accords also reference cooperative mechanisms for carbon markets inspired by frameworks in the European Union Emissions Trading System and concepts discussed at COP24.
Implementation relies on nationally determined commitments by parties including China, the United States, the European Union, Brazil, and South Africa, reporting to the UNFCCC Secretariat under transparency rules informed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Compliance mechanisms are facilitative rather than punitive, reflecting diplomatic practices from the Kyoto Protocol era and political compromises among coalitions like the Umbrella Group and the G77 and China. Financial support and technology transfer involve the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility, the Climate Investment Funds, and partnerships with multilateral development banks such as the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank. Civil society monitoring by organizations such as Climate Action Tracker, Carbon Tracker Initiative, and World Resources Institute supplements official reviews.
The Accords have near-universal participation including 196 parties such as United States (with later policy shifts under different administrations), China, India, Russia, Japan, Brazil, European Union member states like France and Germany, and small states including Tuvalu and Maldives; parties submit NDCs outlining mitigation, adaptation, and finance commitments shaped by national circumstances and regional groups like the African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Pacific Islands Forum. Commitments vary from economy-wide targets espoused by the European Union to sectoral pledges by countries like Australia and Canada, and conditional offers tied to finance and technology support requested by Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Supporters credit the Accords with catalyzing national policies in European Union member states, prompting corporate strategies from firms listed on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, accelerating deployment of solar power and wind power, and influencing financial disclosure standards promoted by entities such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures and the Financial Stability Board. Critics from scholars at institutions like Harvard University, Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and policy groups such as Cato Institute argue that the Accords' reliance on voluntary NDCs and nonbinding compliance falls short of binding commitments seen in treaties like the Montreal Protocol; environmental NGOs including Friends of the Earth International and Greenpeace International have also demanded stronger mechanisms, while economists at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have debated the adequacy of finance pledges and carbon pricing incentives.
The Accords interact with prior and subsequent instruments such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Doha Amendment, the Marrakesh Accords, and regional initiatives like the European Green Deal and bilateral partnerships exemplified by the United States–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. The legacy includes influence on national legislation in countries like France and Germany, market mechanisms in the European Union Emissions Trading System, and international finance flows managed by the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank, while ongoing diplomacy at successive COPs (e.g., COP22, COP24, COP26) continues to shape the Accords' implementation and evolution.
Category:Environmental treaties