Paris Agreement (Commitments)
Introduction
The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that establishes measures for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.[1] The agreement seeks to keep the increase in average global temperature below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and effects of climate change.
The agreement states that this should be achieved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible. It also proposes increasing the ability of the parties to the agreement to establish mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures "Resilience (ecology)") to climate change, and generate financial flows to achieve emissions reduction and development resistant to the effects of climate change.
The applicability of the Agreement began in 2020, after the end of the Kyoto Protocol. The agreement was negotiated during the XXI Climate Change Conference (COP 21) by the 195 member countries, adopted on December 12, 2015 and opened for signature on April 22, 2016 to celebrate Earth Day. Until November 3, 2016, this international instrument had been signed by 97 parties,[2] which includes 96 individually signatory countries and the European Union, which ratified the agreement on October 5, 2016.[3] In this way, the condition for the entry into force of the agreement (Article 21.1) was met by being ratified by more than 55 parties, which account for more than 55% of global gas emissions. greenhouse effect.
The head of the Paris Conference, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, said that this "ambitious and balanced" plan is a "historic turning point" in the goal of reducing global warming.[4].
On June 1, 2017, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from this agreement, given his campaign promises in favor of the nation's economic interests.[5][6] All other countries in the world reiterated their commitment and communicated that they were not going to withdraw from the agreement even if the United States did so.[7] The Latin American countries that had been most involved in achieving the objectives set in the agreement expressed their concern about the transfer reduction. of technology and international financing that the withdrawal of the United States would mean for its energy transition process.[8].
Joe Biden, on his first day in office, signed executive orders rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, which became official on February 19, 2021. However, in the current and second administration of Donald Trump in 2025, the United States once again withdraws from the agreement.[9].