Paris Agreement

At the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December 2015, 196 parties adopted the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is the first worldwide legally binding global climate agreement. It sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2 °C and aiming to limit it to 1.5 °C. It also aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support them in their efforts.

The agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016.

The agreement covers a number of aspects including:

• Climate mitigation:
  • a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels;
  • to aim to limit the increase to 1.5 °C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change;
  • to contribute to the Paris Agreement’s objectives, each party submits a comprehensive national climate action plan (‘nationally determined contribution’).
• Transparency and global stocktaking of countries’ progress towards meeting their commitments.
• Climate adaptation:
  • strengthening societies’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change;
  • provide continued and enhanced international support for climate adaptation to developing countries.
• Developed countries will continue to support climate action to reduce emissions and build resilience to climate change impacts in developing countries. Other countries are encouraged to voluntarily provide, or continue to provide, such support.
• A recognition of the importance of averting, minimising and tackling loss and damage due to the adverse impacts of climate change, and the need to cooperate and enhance the understanding, action and support in different areas, such as early warning systems, emergency preparedness and risk insurance.
• A recognition of the role of others involved in tackling climate change, who are not parties to the Agreement, including cities and other subnational authorities, civil society organisations, the private sector and others.

SEE ALSO

• Adaptation to climate change
• Climate action
• Kyoto Protocol
• Mitigation of climate change
• Climate change — Paris Agreement, ratified by EU (summary)
• The EU and the 2015 International Climate Change Agreement (summary)
• The Road from Paris: assessing the implications of the Paris Agreement on fighting climate change (summary)
• United Nations (UN) climate change negotiations — an overview (summary)
• Paris Agreement (European Commission).