The current state of the Paris Agreement

The current state of the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement, a groundbreaking contract for climate protection, was agreed at the global climate conference (COP21) in Paris, France at the end of 2015. The importance of this agreement lies in its unprecedented global consensus about the need to limit global warming by the end of the century to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Almost all states in the world, 196 in number, have signed the agreement, and most have ratified it, which means that they have legally obliged to limit global warming. This article will examine and evaluate the current status of this important contract.

The functionality of the Paris Agreement

Before we explain the current status of this agreement, it is important to understand the mechanics of this global contract.

Goals and obligations of the signatory states

The main goal of the agreement is to limit global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For this purpose, every signatory country that ratified the agreement has proposed a nationally determined contribution (NDC). This article determines how the state plans to reduce its emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change.

Check mechanism

In order to ensure that the federal states meet their obligations, the Paris Agreement provided for a review mechanism in which progress is checked every five years and, if necessary, set new goals. This review procedure is called "global inventory" and is intended to ensure a regular increase in ambitions.

The current status of the Paris Agreement

More than five years after the Paris Agreement has been signed, most countries have taken the first steps to implement their national contributions. However, the scope and speed of these measures are still not sufficient to achieve the main goal of the agreement.

Progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The implementation of the Paris Agreement has undoubtedly led to progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Emissions GAP Report of the United Nations environmental program, global CO2 emissions have remained almost stable since 2016.

Despite this progress, however, the report warns that the current measures of the federal states are not sufficient to reduce emission to achieve the 2-degree goal, let alone the 1.5-degree goal.

Implementation of national contributions

Most countries submitted their first national contributions and presented plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Many have started implementing their plans, e.g. B. by the construction of more renewable energies, the improvement of energy efficiency and the implementation of measures for afforestation.

However, there is a gap between the ambitious goals that were set in the Paris Agreement and the actual measures of the federal states. The progress in the implementation of national contributions is still inadequate.

challenges and stumbling blocks

Despite the efforts of the international community to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, there are a number of challenges.

lack of ambitions

According to experts, the national contributions of the federal states are not sufficient to reach the 2-degree goal. The energy, industrial and transport policy of many countries is still not sufficiently geared towards climate protection.

financing

Financing climate protection and adapting to climate change is another big challenge. The Paris Agreement provides that the industrialized countries provide developing countries from 2020 annually $ 100 billion in financial aids. However, whether this goal is achieved is controversial.

conclusion

The Paris Agreement has undergone an important step towards global climate protection. It has managed to make almost all states in the world to agree on a common goal and to deal with obligations to reduce their emissions. However, the previous progress is inadequate. The countries must accelerate their efforts and increase their ambitions in order to achieve the agreed goals. In this sense, the Paris Agreement remains an ongoing task and challenge for the international community.