Briefing Paper 557 – The Paris Agreement: What Has Been Achieved So Far? by Lovedonia Mkansi
The Paris Agreement is a legally-binding interna- tional treaty on climate change. It was adopted by the 196 state parties to the United Nations Frame- work Convention on Climate Change at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), on 12 Decem- ber 2015 in Paris, France. It officially came into force on 4 November 2016.1 The goal of the agree- ment is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (preferably to 1.5), compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this goal, the agreement sets out a framework for participating countries to carry out ambitious action plans that combat climate change. These plans are referred to as the Nationally Determined Contributions – NDCs.2 The NDCs are used to help countries set targets to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases; and to build capacities to adapt to the effects of climate change. These country-level plans are updated every five years, with the expectation of increasing ambition, and the aim of reviewing the implementation of the activities set out in the action plans.