The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that was adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, in 2015. The agreement aims to mitigate the impacts of climate change and limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Here is what was agreed at the Paris Agreement:
1. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): The Paris Agreement requires all countries to submit their own NDCs, which outline their plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. These plans are reviewed every five years, with the goal of increasing ambition over time.
2. Transparency and accountability: The Paris Agreement establishes a transparency framework to ensure that countries are reporting their emissions and progress towards their NDCs accurately and consistently. A global stocktake is also conducted every five years to assess progress towards the goals of the agreement.
3. Adaptation: The Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of adaptation to the impacts of climate change, especially for vulnerable communities and countries. It requires countries to develop and implement adaptation plans and to provide support for adaptation in developing countries.
4. Finance: The Paris Agreement calls for the mobilization of financial resources to support developing countries in their efforts to address climate change. Developed countries are required to provide financial support to developing countries to help them reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
5. Technology transfer: The Paris Agreement encourages the transfer of technology from developed to developing countries to help them reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
The Paris Agreement represents a significant step forward in the global effort to address climate change. However, more work is needed to ensure that countries are taking ambitious action to reduce emissions and that global temperature rise is kept below 2 degrees Celsius. With continued global collaboration and commitment, we have a chance to limit the worst impacts of climate change and create a sustainable future for all.