Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December 2015 at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21) in Paris. It opened for signature on 22 April 2016 at United Nations Headquarters in New York and entered into force on 4 November 2016. The agreement's central temperature goal is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries' ability to adapt to climate impacts and align finance flows with low-emission, climate-resilient development.

The treaty applies to all Parties and organizes mitigation commitments through nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Each Party is required to prepare, communicate and maintain successive NDCs, and to pursue domestic mitigation measures with the aim of achieving them. Parties communicate updated contributions every five years; each successive contribution is expected to represent progression and reflect the Party's highest possible ambition, in light of national circumstances. The nationally determined design allows countries to set their own plans within a common international framework, rather than assigning identical targets to every country.

The Agreement establishes a global goal on adaptation: enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change. It recognizes that adaptation is a global challenge and calls for cooperation and support, with attention to developing countries and those particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. Its provisions also address finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building to support climate action. The agreement's treatment of these issues reflects the need for both emissions reductions and preparation for impacts that are already occurring or expected.

The enhanced transparency framework provides for regular reporting on emissions, progress in implementing climate plans, adaptation and support. Reports undergo technical expert review, with flexibility for countries that need it in light of their capacities. A global stocktake periodically assesses collective progress toward the Agreement's purpose and long-term goals; it is intended to inform Parties as they update and enhance their actions and support. The first stocktake concluded in 2023, and the process is to recur every five years.

The Paris Agreement is a treaty: its procedural and reporting requirements are binding on its Parties, while the nationally determined emissions outcomes are set by each country and are not imposed as uniform externally assigned targets. It builds on the UNFCCC and brought all countries into a shared framework for climate action, while recognizing differences in national circumstances and capacities. The agreement's effectiveness depends on implementation, progressively stronger national plans, and cooperation and support; its goals are not guaranteed merely by adoption.