What Does The Paris Climate Agreement Say

The Pact does not set greenhouse gas emission limits for each country and does not include enforcement mechanisms, but rather creates a framework for international negotiations on future agreements or protocols to set binding emission targets. Participating countries meet annually at a Conference of the Parties (COP) to assess their progress and continue discussions on how best to tackle climate change. The People`s Climate March takes place in Washington, DC. In the context of the Capitol, about 200,000 people are marching through the streets of the capital to show the world that we support action on climate change. The aim of the agreement is to reduce global warming described in Article 2 and improve the implementation of the UNFCCC by:[11] Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, which sets legally binding emission reduction targets (as well as sanctions for non-compliance) only for developed countries, the Paris Agreement requires all countries – rich, poor, developed and developing – do their part and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, greater flexibility is built into the Paris Agreement: it does not include language on the commitments that countries should make, countries can voluntarily set their emission targets (NDCs), and no penalties are imposed on countries if they fail to meet the proposed targets. What the Paris Agreement requires, however, is monitoring, reporting, and reassessing countries` individual and collective goals over time in order to bring the world closer to the broader goals of the agreement. And the agreement requires countries to announce their next set of targets every five years – unlike the Kyoto Protocol, which aimed at that target but did not contain a specific requirement to achieve it. While strengthening the ambitions of NDCs is a key objective of the global stocktaking, it assesses efforts that go beyond containment. The 5-year reviews will also assess adaptation, climate finance regulations, and technology development and transfer.

[29] The Paris Agreement contained a number of binding procedural obligations. The Parties undertake to «prepare, communicate and maintain» successive NDCs; «pursue national mitigation measures» to achieve their NDCs; and report regularly on their emissions and progress in implementing their NDCs. . . .