The Paris Agreement is a landmark global agreement on climate change, signed in 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was agreed upon by 196 countries, including the United States, China, India, and the European Union.
The aim of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with a goal of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.
One of the key features of the Paris Agreement is that it is legally binding. Countries are required to submit pledges on their greenhouse gas emissions reduction and progress towards those goals to the UNFCCC every five years. The first round of pledges was due in 2020, with subsequent rounds due in 2025 and every five years thereafter.
The Paris Agreement also established a financial mechanism to provide support to developing countries in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Developed countries committed to provide financial resources to help developing countries transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies.
Additionally, the Paris Agreement recognized the importance of transparency and accountability in achieving the goals of the agreement. Countries are required to regularly report on their emissions and progress towards their pledges, and a transparency framework was established to ensure that the reported information is accurate, complete, and comparable across countries.
Overall, the Paris Agreement is a significant achievement in the international fight against climate change. Although challenges remain, the agreement provides a framework for countries to work together to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today.