The Paris Agreement, a landmark international agreement on climate change, was adopted in December 2015 and signed by 195 countries. The agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Paris Agreement consists of 29 articles, each outlining specific provisions and commitments by the signatory countries. Here is a summary of some of the key articles:
Article 2: The agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and to promote sustainable development.
Article 4: Each country is required to prepare and submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs) outlining their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Article 6: The agreement sets up a mechanism for countries to cooperate on implementing their NDCs, including through market and non-market mechanisms such as emissions trading.
Article 7: All countries are encouraged to undertake and communicate their adaptation efforts, and developed countries are required to provide financial and technical support to developing countries to assist them in their efforts.
Article 9: Countries are required to undertake and communicate efforts to enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and access to information.
Article 13: The agreement establishes a transparency framework to strengthen the trust between countries, by requiring them to regularly report on their emissions and climate actions.
Article 15: The agreement establishes a global stocktake every five years to assess the collective progress towards achieving the goals of the agreement.
Article 16: The agreement establishes a mechanism to address loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.
Article 26: The agreement establishes a financial mechanism to provide support to developing countries to assist them in implementing the agreement, including through the Green Climate Fund.
In conclusion, the Paris Agreement represents a concerted effort by the international community to address the global challenge of climate change. The agreement outlines a framework for cooperation and action by all countries, and sets out specific provisions and commitments to achieve the goal of limiting global warming and promoting sustainable development.