The Paris Climate Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Paris, France. The agreement is a landmark international treaty focused on mitigating global warming and climate change, intending to keep the average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In this article, we will discuss the Paris Climate Agreement features and objectives.

Features of the Paris Climate Agreement

The features of the Paris Climate Agreement include the following:

1. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): All signatory countries are required to submit their individual NDC, which outlines their national climate change mitigation and adaptation goals, plans, and policies. The NDCs are updated every five years, with the intention of enhancing the ambition and effectiveness of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

2. Global stocktake: The Paris Climate Agreement requires all signatory countries to participate in a global stocktake process every five years to assess collective progress towards achieving the agreement`s overall objective. The stocktake process aims to identify gaps in implementation and to encourage countries to enhance their ambition.

3. Financial support: Developed countries committed to providing financial support to developing countries to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, including capacity-building, technology transfer, and financial aid. The financial commitment was set at $100 billion annually, starting in 2020 and increasing over time.

4. Transparency: The Paris Climate Agreement requires all signatory countries to provide transparent and accurate information on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, adaptation efforts, and financial support, among other things. This transparency aims to increase accountability and build trust among the nations participating in the agreement.

Objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement

The Paris Climate Agreement has two main objectives:

1. To limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels: The Paris Climate Agreement aims to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This objective is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise, more frequent and severe natural disasters, and food shortages.

2. To increase countries` ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change: The Paris Climate Agreement recognizes the importance of adaptation in addressing the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly in developing countries. The agreement aims to enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of countries, communities, and ecosystems to better cope with the impacts of climate change.

Conclusion

The Paris Climate Agreement is a significant milestone in international efforts to address climate change. Its features, including the nationally determined contributions, global stocktake, financial support, and transparency, are designed to ensure that all signatory countries work towards achieving the agreement`s objectives of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and enhancing countries` ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. The agreement also provides a framework for cooperation and collective action towards a more sustainable and resilient future.