The Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement is to deal with the greenhouse emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting the year 2020. The negotiations were made by the representatives of 195 countries at the 21st conference of UNFCCC in Paris. The Paris agreement does not force any country to take specific action against climate change, and every country determines its own goal and contribution against global warming.
What does the Paris Agreement Aims
The aims of the agreement are described in the article 2 which sets the following goals.
- Keeping the global average temp below 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels and limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C above the pre-industrial levels.
- Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production.
- Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
Paris Agreement Structure
The Structure of the agreement is bottom up in contrast to almost all other climate and environmental agreements and treaties like the Kyoto Protocols also known as Agenda 21 the predecessor of Paris Agreement. Meaning that the agreement is not forcing any country to do anything and does not stigmatize its actions as legal or ilegal. By this scope no congress of any country needs to legislate the agreement for it to take effect.
Sustainable Development Mechanism or SDM
The paragraphs 6.4-6.7 establish the SDM to support sustainable development and the mitigation of greenhouse gases. The SDM is considered a successor to CDM (clean development mechanism). Basic aim of SDM is to contribute to global GHG emissions reductions and support sustainable, renewable and recyclable development. Since the Kyoto Protocol went into force, the Clean Development Mechanism has been criticized for failing to produce either meaningful emissions reductions or sustainable development benefits in most instances. It has also suffered from the low price of Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs), creating less demand for projects. These criticisms have motivated the recommendations of various stakeholders, who have provided through working groups and reports, new elements they hope to see in SDM that will bolster its success. The specifics of the governance structure, project proposal modalities, and overall design are expected to come during the next conference in Marrakesh.
Finances of the Agreement
The developed countries agreed and took on the commitment to mobilize 100$ billion a year in climate finance by 2020, and also to continue mobilizing finance at the level of 100$ billion a year until 2025. The 100 billion are to aid the developing countries for their actions against climate change. Some specific outcomes of the elevated attention to adaptation financing in Paris include the G7 countries' announcement to provide US $420 million for Climate Risk Insurance, and the launching of a Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative. Early March 2016, the Obama administration gave a $500 million grant to the "Green Climate Fund" as "the first chunk of a $3 billion commitment made at the Paris climate talks. The Green Climate Fund has received over $10 billion in pledges. The pledges come from developed nations like France, the US, and Japan, but also from developing countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
In Conclusion
The countries have come to an agreement for the second time in matter of climate change. The agreement is to stabilize the rising sea levels as well as the rising temperatures. Supporting the financially weak and reshaping our technology to a more eco-friendly future.
Source Links:
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris_en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement
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You can also find my series in Climate Change here:
https://steemit.com/science/@diasdr/climate-change-part-01-general-info
https://steemit.com/science/@diasdr/climate-change-part-02-the-time-line
https://steemit.com/science/@diasdr/climate-change-part-03-carbon-footprint-and-how-to-save-money
https://steemit.com/science/@diasdr/climate-change-part-04-nuclear-power-and-the-thorium-conspiracy
https://steemit.com/science/@diasdr/climate-change-part-05-final-part-my-part