Paris Climate Agreement

Paris Climate Agreement
Name	Paris Climate Agreement
Date signed	12 December 2015
Location signed	Paris
Parties	196
Depositor	United Nations Secretary-General
Languages	Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish

Paris Climate Agreement The Paris Climate Agreement is an international multilateral treaty concluded in 2015 under the aegis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference held in Le Bourget, Paris. It seeks to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping global average temperature rise this century well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C. The Agreement built on efforts under the Kyoto Protocol and the Cancún Agreements and entered into force after ratification by a sufficient number of Parties.

Background

The Agreement emerged from decades of negotiations involving actors from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, COP processes such as COP21, and earlier instruments like the Kyoto Protocol and the Doha Amendment. Key diplomatic venues and events included the Montreal Protocol meetings, the Rio Earth Summit, and the G8 summit and G20 summit discussions where leaders from United States, China, India, European Union, and Brazil engaged. Scientific inputs were provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports and policy tools referenced included proposals from Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, and regional initiatives such as the European Union Emission Trading Scheme.

Objectives and Commitments

The Agreement’s central long-term temperature goal complements mitigation and adaptation aims found in documents from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and commitments by states such as China, United States, India, European Union, Japan, and Brazil. It established a framework for Nationally Determined Contributions submitted by Parties and for global stocktakes at intervals similar to the Paris Agreement Global Stocktake. The text invoked concepts from treaties like the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and mechanisms resembling the Clean Development Mechanism while recognizing the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities debated by delegates from Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, African Union, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Negotiation and Adoption

Negotiations culminated at COP21 in 2015 UN Climate Change Conference where representatives of United States, China, European Union, India, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and many others brokered compromises. Key figures included envoys and ministers from France as host, and negotiators from blocs such as the Alliance of Small Island States, Least Developed Countries Group, Umbrella Group, and the Like-Minded Developing Countries. The Agreement was adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015 and opened for signature at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Implementation and Nationally Determined Contributions

Implementation relies on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by Parties such as China, United States, European Union, India, Japan, Canada, and Australia. NDCs cover mitigation, adaptation, and support and are periodically updated in line with the global stocktake mechanism and timelines akin to those in the Kyoto Protocol processes. National plans interact with domestic policies influenced by institutions like Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, and regional initiatives including the European Green Deal and bilateral arrangements such as agreements between United States and China.

Finance, Technology and Capacity Building

The Agreement reinforced finance commitments through channels like the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility, and multilateral development banks including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Developed Parties were urged to provide financial resources, technology transfer, and capacity building to Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, drawing on frameworks similar to those in the United Nations Development Programme and Technology Mechanism under the UNFCCC. Private finance mobilization involved actors such as International Monetary Fund, European Investment Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-linked initiatives, and national export credit agencies.

Monitoring, Reporting and Compliance Mechanisms

Transparency and accountability were structured through a Enhanced Transparency Framework drawing on reporting templates and modalities related to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidance, the UNFCCC measurement, reporting and verification systems, and practices from instruments like the Clean Development Mechanism. The Agreement created processes for technical expert review, facilitation, and a compliance mechanism administered by a committee, similar in oversight function to bodies in treaties such as the Montreal Protocol and institutional arrangements of the World Trade Organization.

Criticism and Reception

Reception varied: environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and 350.org praised ambition but critiqued perceived inadequacy compared with IPCC pathways; industry groups including International Chamber of Commerce offered conditional support; political actors in United States, Australia, and Poland debated domestic ratification. Scholars from institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University assessed its sufficiency against scenarios in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, while movements such as Extinction Rebellion and parties like the Green Party advocated for stricter measures. Some Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries highlighted implementation gaps in finance and loss and damage provisions, prompting ongoing negotiation at subsequent Conference of the Parties sessions.

Category:International environmental treaties