Paris Agreement: Simplified

 Mostly because of human actions, the concentration of gases like Carbon-di-oxide,

Methane etc has increased in earth’s atmosphere and has resulted in phenomena called
Green House Effect.
 Because of Green House Effect, the average global temperature has increased, which
is known as Global Warming.
 The 2016 average temperatures were about 1.3 °C (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) above the
average in 1880 when global record-keeping began.
 It is estimated that the difference between today’s temperature and the last ice age is
about 5°C.
 Global Warming is dangerous all life on earth.
 The only way to deal with the change in climate is to reduce the emission of Green
House Gases (GHGs) like Carbon Di Oxide and Methane.

What is Paris Agreement?

 In short, Paris Agreement is an international agreement to combat climate change.

 From 30 November to 11 December 2015, the governments of 195 nations gathered in
Paris, France, and discussed a possible new global agreement on climate change,
aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and thus reduce the threat of
dangerous climate change.
  The 32-page Paris agreement with 29 articles is widely recognized as a historic deal to
stop global warming.

Aims of Paris Agreement

As countries around the world recognized that climate change is a reality, they came together
to sign a historic deal to combat climate change – Paris Agreement. The aims of Paris
Agreement is as below:

1. Keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above the
pre-industrial level.
2. Pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
3. Strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.

It may seem a small change in temperature but this can mean a big difference for the Earth!

Paris Agreement: Things to note

 In French, the Paris Agreement is known as L’accord de Paris.
 The key vision of Paris Agreement is to keep global temperatures “well below” 2.0C
(3.6F) above pre-industrial times and “endeavour to limit” them even more, to 1.5C.
 Paris Accord talks about limiting the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human
activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning
at some point between 2050 and 2100.
 It also mentions the need to review each country’s contribution to cutting emissions
every five years so they scale up to the challenge.
 Rich countries should help poorer nations by providing “climate finance” to adapt to
climate change and switch to renewable energy.
 The Paris Agreement has a ‘bottom up’ structure in contrast to most international
environmental law treaties which are ‘top down.
 The agreement is binding in some elements like reporting requirements, while leaving
other aspects of the deal such as the setting of emissions targets for any individual
country as non-binding.

Is this the first international agreement to combat climate

change due to global warming?
No. In fact, Paris Agreement comes under the broad umbrella of United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). UNFCCC is a convention held
in 1992 to combat climate change. Kyoto Protocol (1997) was another major international
commitment under UNFCCC.
Paris Agreement (2015) vs Kyoto Protocol (1997)
 Paris Agreement is the world’s first comprehensive climate agreement. Although
developed and developing countries were parties to Kyoto Protocol, developing
countries were not mandated to reduce their emissions.
 This means that while Paris Agreement is legally binding to all parties, Kyoto
Protocol was not.
 Paris Agreement was reached on the twenty-first session of the Conference of the
Parties (COP) and the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the
meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP).
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)
 The national pledges by countries to cut emissions are voluntary.
 The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through
“nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the
years ahead.
 This includes requirements that all Parties report regularly on their emissions and on
their implementation efforts.
 In 2018, Parties will take stock of the collective efforts in relation to progress towards
the goal set in the Paris Agreement.
 There will also be a global stock take every 5 years to assess the collective progress
towards achieving the purpose of the Agreement and to inform further individual
actions by Parties.

India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution

(INDC)
  India’s INDC include a reduction in the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per
cent by 2030 from 2005 level.
 India has also pledged to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of
CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
 India will anchor a global solar alliance, INSPA (International Agency for Solar
Policy & Application), of all countries located in between Tropic of Cancer and
Tropic of Capricorn.

Frameworks under Paris Agreement

 Technology Framework
 Capacity Building Framework
 Transparency Framework

Why is Paris Agreement important?

 Current commitments on greenhouse gas emissions (Kyoto Protocol) will expire in
2020. Paris Agreement deals with what should be done in the decade after 2020 and
beyond this time frame.
 The text of the agreement includes a provision requiring developed countries to send
$100 billion annually to their developing counterparts beginning in 2020. That figure
will be a “floor” that is expected to increase with time.
 The Paris Agreement has a ‘bottom up’ structure in contrast to most international
environmental law treaties which are ‘top down.
 For the first time, the accord lays out a longer-term plan for reaching a peak in
greenhouse emissions “as soon as possible” and achieving a balance between the
output of man-made greenhouse gasses and absorption – by forests or the oceans –
“by the second half of this century”.

When will Paris Agreement come into force?

  Thirty days after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting
in total for at least an estimated 55 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions
have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession
with the Depositary.
 On 5 October 2016, the threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement was
achieved.
 The Paris Agreement will enter into force on 4 November 2016.

Criticisms about Paris Agreement

 According to a study published in Nature on June 2016, current country pledges are
too low to lead to a temperature rise below the Paris Agreement temperature limit of
“well below 2 °C”.
 Even a UNFCCC report had observed that even if all the pledges made by 197
countries that are signatory to the Paris pact were fulfilled, it would be insufficient to
meet the conservative goal of keeping global temperature rise within the 2 degree
Celsius threshold.
 Most of the agreement consists of “promises” or aims and not firm commitments.
 The starting point of $100bn per year remains under 8% of worldwide declared
military spending each year.
 Since the only mechanism remains voluntary national caps on emissions, without
even any guidance on how stringent those caps would need to be, it is hard to be
optimistic that these goals are likely to be achieved.
 There is only a “name and shame” system or a “name and encourage” plan and the
‘contributions’ themselves are not binding as a matter of international law.

Summary
 The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
 Countries will aim to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F) by
2100 with an ideal target of keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C (2.7°F).
 Paris is only the beginning of a shift towards a low-carbon world, and there is much
more to do.
Paris Agreement (COP 21) - Everything
You Need to Know
The Paris Agreement was adopted by 196 countries at the UNFCCC Conference of the
Parties (COP 21) in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
The agreement intends to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Before COP 21 in Paris, countries were asked to submit Nationally Determined Contributions
(NDC’s). There was a marked shift in the commitments from various countries. India was
clubbed in the group of emerging economies and India lived up to its billing as a responsible
nation in tackling climate change.

In 2017, the US President announced his intention to withdraw from the agreement. The
withdrawal became official on 4 November 2020. Later, after the change in Presidency, the
US again joined the Paris Agreement in 2021.

Paris Agreement COP 21 – Latest Update

1. The Climate Ambition Summit to mark the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement
started on 12th December 2020 at Glasgow, Scotland. It aimed to provide a platform
for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the
Paris Agreement and the multilateral process.
o Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a virtual speech at the Climate
Ambition Summit that India has reduced its global emissions by 21 per cent
compared to 2005 and is on its way to do more, details are discussed below.
2. The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in
Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.

Key Facts about Paris Agreement – COP 21

What is the Paris Agreement?

It is a multilateral agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC); signed to reduce, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Paris Climate Accord

 It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change that was adopted by 196
countries at the Conference of the Parties COP 21 in Paris in December 2015.
 The objective of the Paris Climate Accord was to achieve the long-term temperature
goal. Countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as
possible to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century.
 The main goal of the Paris Climate Accord is to limit global warming to well below
 2° Celsius and preferably limit it to 1.5° Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

When was the Paris Agreement signed?

An agreement was signed on 22 April 2016.

How many countries signed the Paris Agreement?

Currently, 195 UNFCCC members have signed it. However, US President Donald Trump has
announced his intention to withdraw from the agreement by November 2020.

The goal of the Paris Agreement

1. To curtail the rise of global temperature this century below 2-degree Celsius, above
pre-industrial levels; and also pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees
Celsius.
2. Develop mechanisms to help and support countries that are very vulnerable to the
adverse impacts of climate change. An example would be countries like the Maldives
facing threat due to sea-level rise.
3. Confirms the obligation that developed countries have towards developing countries,
by providing them financial and technological support.

The agreement talks about 20/20/20 targets, i.e.

1. Carbon Dioxide emissions reductions by 20%,

2. Work on increasing the renewable energy market share by 20%
3. Target to increase energy efficiency by 20%

What is Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)?

1. It means the contributions that need to be done by each country to achieve the overall
global goal.
2. The contributions need to be reported every 5 years to UNFCCC.
3. The contributions are not legally binding.
4. The goal is to make sure that all countries have access to technical expertise and
financial capability to meet the climate challenges.

Climate Ambition Summit 2020

1. The United Nations, France, United Kingdom in partnership with Italy and Chile
hosted the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 in Glasgow Scotland to mark the 5th
Anniversary of the Paris Agreement.
2. The Summit provided a meaningful platform for businesses, cities and other non-state
actors who are rallying together and collaborating to support governments and
accelerate the systemic change required to reduce emissions and build resilience.
3. The objective of the Climate Ambition Summit was to set out new and ambitious
commitments under the three pillars of the Paris Agreement that are mitigation,
adaptation and finance commitments.
Status of Global Emission After 5 years of the Paris Agreement

All the states have submitted their national contributions to mitigate and adapt to climate
change after 5 years of the agreement –

 China has the highest GHG emissions (30%) while the US contributes 13.5% and the
EU 8.7%. Earlier the emission status was like (China at 13% while, the US had the
highest emissions at 25%, followed by EU at 22%).
 Besides India, only Bhutan, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Morocco, and
Gambia complied with the Paris Climate Accord.
 The contributions are radically insufficient to reach the well below the 2° Celsius
limit and are even further from the 1.5° Celsius limit given in the Paris Agreement.

India’s Status of Current Emissions – 

 A United Nations report released earlier this year stated that India’s per capita
emissions are actually 60% lower than the global average.

The list of Reports published by International Organizations can be checked on the link
provided here.

 The emissions in the country grew 1.4% in 2019, much lower than its average of
3.3% per year over the last decade.
 Some of the Measures taken by India to Control Emissions:
o National Solar Mission: It is a major initiative of the Government of India and
State Governments to promote ecologically sustainable growth while
addressing India’s energy security challenge.
o Bharat Stage (BS) VI norms: These are emission control standards put in
place by the government to keep a check on air pollution.
o National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy 2018: The main objective of the policy is
to provide a framework for the promotion of large grid-connected wind-solar
photovoltaic (PV) hybrid systems for optimal and efficient utilization of wind
and solar resources, transmission infrastructure and land.
o All these and many other initiatives helped India in cutting CO2 emissions by
164 million kg.

Major Difference between the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement

In the Paris agreement, there is no difference between developing and developed countries. In
the Kyoto Protocol, there was a differentiation between developed and developing countries
by clubbing them as Annex 1 countries and non-Annex 1 countries.

International transfer of Mitigation outcomes

As per the Paris agreement, Parties have the right to include the reduction of emissions in any
other country as their NDC, as per the system of carbon trading and accounting.

Financial Support pledged during the Paris 2015 Agreement

 1. Developed countries have committed $ 100 Billion a year.
2. Finance would be balanced between mitigation and adaptation.
3. G7 countries announced the US $ 420 Million for Climate Risk Insurance and the
launching of the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative.
4. $ 3 Billion commitment for Green Climate Fund.

What is Article 6 of the Paris Agreement?

1. Help Governments establish and implement Nationally Determined Contributions

(NDC)
2. Help establish a global price of carbon
3. The use of establishing a global price in Carbon is that if countries exceed their NDC,
those countries will have to bear the cost of global warming.

India at COP 21

1. India put out a statement that we need to grow rapidly to meet the aspiration of 1.25
Billion population, and out of this 300 Million people are without access to energy.
2. Yet despite the growing demands, India has pledged to reduce emissions intensity per
unit GDP by 33-35% of 2005 levels
3. Aiming to reach 40% of installed capacity from non-fossil fuels.
4. Targeting 175 GW of renewable energy generation by 2022.
5. Planning to enlarge forest cover to absorb 2.5 Billion tonnes worth of carbon dioxide.
6. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels through levies and reduction in subsidies.
7. India exhorted on the principles of equity and differentiated responsibilities
8. As per India, equity means national commitments that must be consistent with the
carbon space nations occupy.
9. India expects developed countries to mobilize 100 billion US dollars annually by
2020 for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

1. As the oceans warm, they can hold less CO₂ (carbon dioxide). It bubbles into the
atmosphere, like warmed soda pop. The carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that heats
the oceans further in a vicious circle.
2. The arctic is where the global warming effects are most dramatic (2.6 times stronger).
Permafrost is melting letting the frozen methane into the atmosphere. Methane is 50
times more potent as a greenhouse gas. That further melts the permafrost in a vicious
circle. According to a Nova documentary, for every human on earth there are ¾ of a
ton of termites. There is a population explosion of termites caused by the rapid
clearing of tropical rainforests and drought deaths of the tropical forests caused by
global warming. Termites produce substantial quantities methane as a byproduct of
their digestion of cellulose. Scientists say that the most obvious sign of life on earth
from a distant observer would be the high concentrations of methane in our
atmosphere, caused primarily by the flatulence of cows, a side effect the cattle feed lot
industry. More termites means more methane which means more global warming.
 We have a lot of carbon stored in the permafrost and those permafrosts are
starting to defrost and when they defrost that carbon is going to be oxidized to
carbon dioxide or brought out as methane… and that will be a dramatic
increase in greenhouse gases.
~ Douglas Crawford-Brown , Director, Carolina Environmental Program,
UNC-Chapel Hill

3. Snow cover in the subarctic reflects heat back out to space. Global warming causes
the snow to melt earlier and it stays melted a longer period each year. The dark
ground or water underneath absorbs heat. Snow reflects 80 to 90% of the light, but
water only reflects 5 to 10%. Technically reflectivity is referred to as albedo. So again
you get a vicious warming cycle.
4. Greenland’s glaciers, due to global warming are melting rapidly. This dumps huge
quantities of fresh water into the North Atlantic, diluting the salinity. According to
some computer models this might be enough to interface with the Gulf Stream which
what makes Europe habitable. So ironically general global warming can cause local
cooling, just as a flame in a propane powered refrigerator can cool food.
5. CO₂ warms the air. This makes it hold more water vapour, which is itself a
greenhouse gas. So you get a vicious circle magnifying effect.
6. Methyl clathrates are frozen methane, lying buried on the continental shelves. As the
oceans warm, these melt and burp methane, a greenhouse gas 50 times more potent
into the air. In a vicious circle this causes more warming.
7. As the oceans become more acidic, creatures with shells (e.g. corals, clams, oysters
and diatoms) are unable to extract calcium carbonate from the ocean. Their shells
dissolve like teeth in Cocoa-Cola. This means they are unable to fix carbon. The
acidity also means the oceans have less ability to dissolve  CO₂. More CO₂ means
more acidity. More acidity means more CO₂. More CO₂ means more global
warming.
8. As the oceans become warmer, plankton (tiny ocean plants) die off. About half the
plankton has already died. Lowly plankton do the lion’s share of the work converting
CO₂ to oxygen. Fewer plankton means more CO₂ which means more global
warming. Since plankton are the base of the marine food pyramid, one additional
symptom of the plankton die-off is reduced fish populations.
9. Due to global warming, the Amazon has seen its first droughts ever. This leads to
forest fires. The plants there have never seen fire and are not adapted to it. Each fire
leaves the forest even more vulnerable to the next fire. The soils are thin and quickly
erode away. The burning emits massive amounts of  CO₂ and the Amazon, the lungs
of planet earth, no longer has the biomass to convert CO₂ back to oxygen that sustains
the planet’s animal life (including us). Similar problems are happening all over the
globe. Fewer plants means more CO₂ which means more global warming.
10. Global warming means:
o extreme droughts
o extreme flooding for a short periods
o high winds

When plants experience heat above what they are adapted to, they shut down. They
stop converting CO₂ to oxygen. Ditto for drought. Flooding rips up the soil and
carries it off into the ocean, leaving poor gritty soils behind. Fewer plants means more
CO₂ which means more global warming.
You see the problem, that even if you don’t do anything to make global warming worse, the
problem can run away on its own getting worse and worse ever faster. The earth has gone
through rapid and drastic cycles on its own before triggered by atmospheric changed caused
by volcanoes, bacteria, plants, asteroid impacts etc.