Environmental Policies And Agreements Questions Long
The Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted in 2015, is a landmark international treaty aimed at addressing the global challenge of climate change. It sets out a framework for countries to work together to limit global warming and mitigate its impacts. The main principles of the Paris Agreement can be summarized as follows:
1. Global cooperation: The agreement recognizes that climate change is a global issue that requires collective action. It emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and solidarity in addressing climate change, with all countries playing a part according to their respective capabilities.
2. Long-term temperature goal: The Paris Agreement aims to limit the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This goal is based on scientific evidence that exceeding these temperature thresholds would have severe and irreversible impacts on ecosystems and human societies.
3. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Under the Paris Agreement, each country is required to submit its own climate action plan, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). These plans outline the country's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. NDCs are intended to be ambitious and progressively updated over time.
4. Transparency and accountability: The agreement establishes a robust transparency framework to ensure that countries are accountable for their climate actions. It requires countries to regularly report on their emissions, progress towards their NDCs, and the support they provide or receive to implement climate policies. This transparency enhances trust and enables countries to learn from each other's experiences.
5. Adaptation and resilience: The Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of adaptation to the impacts of climate change, particularly for vulnerable countries and communities. It calls for increased efforts to build resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate-related hazards, such as extreme weather events and sea-level rise. It also emphasizes the need to support developing countries in their adaptation efforts.
6. Finance and support: The agreement acknowledges the need for financial resources, technology transfer, and capacity-building support to enable developing countries to effectively address climate change. Developed countries are expected to provide financial assistance to developing countries to help them transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies.
7. Loss and damage: The Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of addressing loss and damage associated with the impacts of climate change, particularly in vulnerable developing countries. It establishes a mechanism to enhance understanding, coordination, and support for addressing loss and damage, including through financial assistance and insurance mechanisms.
Overall, the Paris Agreement represents a global commitment to combat climate change and transition towards a sustainable and low-carbon future. It emphasizes the need for collective action, ambition, transparency, and support for developing countries, while recognizing the urgency of limiting global warming to protect the planet and future generations.