Nine Years of the Paris Agreement

• 16 Dec 2024

For Prelims: Paris Agreement, UNFCCC, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Kyoto Protocol vs. Paris Agreement, Climate Finance, Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Reports, International Court of Justice (ICJ), Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

For Mains: Achievements and Challenges of the Paris Agreement, Global Climate Finance Issues and Solutions.

Source: IE 

Why in News? 

The Paris Agreement, adopted on 12^th December 2015, has come under scrutiny as it marks nine years of its existence.  

• Despite its ambitious goals to limit global temperature rise, recent trends highlight its ineffectiveness in combating climate change. Over the past nine years, global emissions have increased by 8%, and 2024 is projected to be the first year to breach the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels.  

What is the Paris Agreement? 

• About:  
  • It is a legally binding global agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that was adopted in 2015 (COP 21). 
  • It aims to combat climate change and limit global warming to well below 2o C above pre-industrial levels, with an ambition to limit warming to 1.5o C. 
  • It replaced the Kyoto Protocol which was an earlier agreement to deal with climate change. 
  • Under the Paris Agreement, each country is required to submit and update their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) every 5 years, outlining their plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. 
    • NDCs are pledges made by countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. 
• Achievements: 
  • Global Consensus and Inclusivity: For the first time, nearly all nations, developed, developing, and least-developed committed to combating climate change under a universal framework where all countries contribute through nationally determined contributions (NDCs), ensuring global participation and accountability. 
  • Financial Support for Developing Nations: Developed countries pledged to mobilize USD 100 billion annually by 2020 to assist developing nations in mitigation and adaptation, with provisions for increasing financial commitments post-2020 to enable sustainable development for vulnerable nations. 
  • Equity and Differentiated Responsibilities: Incorporated the UNFCCC principle of "Common But Differentiated Responsibilities" (CBDR) to balance commitments based on national circumstances, ensuring fairness for developing and least-developed countries. 
• Criticism: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of the Global Climate 2022 report pointed out that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has been ineffective in fulfilling its agenda. 
  • After the signing of the Agreement, the last eight years (2015-2022) have consecutively been the warmest years on record globally. 
    • The situation could have been far worse if the La Nina weather event had not occurred in the past three years, which has a cooling effect on the weather system. 
  • Current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitments are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C, with projections of 2.5-2.9°C, and a gap between targets and actual implementation could lead to even higher emissions by 2030. 
  • The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report highlights that the 2015 Paris Agreement has fallen short, calling  for a fossil fuel treaty to complement it. 
  • While NDCs and disaster risk reduction plans are in place in many countries, their adequacy and implementation effectiveness vary. 
    • For example, while the European Union's NDCs show strong targets and implementation like the European Green Deal, countries like South Africa struggle with effective execution due to reliance on coal and limited resources. 

 

 

What Are the Differing Perspectives of Developed, Developing, and Least-Developed Countries on the Paris Agreement?

Aspect	Developed Countries	Developing Countries	Least-Developed Countries (LDCs)
Approach to NDCs	Favor voluntary NDCs for flexibility.	Criticize voluntary NDCs as insufficient and inequitable.	Demand legally binding commitments for stronger global action.
Climate Finance	Faces criticism for shifting greater responsibility onto less industrialized nations.	Advocate for adequate and timely financial support from developed countries.	Disappointed by delays and insufficiency in promised funding, especially for adaptation and loss and damage.
Technology Transfer	Support limited, market-based technology sharing.	Demand accessible and affordable technology to transition to green economies.	Highlight lack of access to critical technologies, which increases their vulnerability.
Historical Responsibility	Seek to move past historical emissions accountability.	Argue for the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" (CBDR) to hold developed countries accountable.	Stress the importance of addressing historical emissions to ensure fairness in global action.
Adaptation Needs	Focus on mitigation strategies over adaptation.	Emphasize both mitigation and adaptation to address ongoing and future climate impacts.	Prioritize adaptation due to severe vulnerabilities, particularly to sea-level rise and extreme weather events.
Loss and Damage	Show reluctance to commit to compensation or reparations.	Support the establishment of robust mechanisms for addressing loss and damage.	Demand urgent action and reparations for irreversible climate impacts threatening their survival.

What Can Be Done to Address the Implementation Gaps of the Paris Agreement? 

• Strengthen and Enforce NDCs: Make NDCs legally binding with periodic reviews to align with temperature goals, while ensuring developed countries take on higher mitigation targets reflecting their historical emissions and financial capacity. 
• Phase Out Fossil Fuels: Establish a binding global framework for phasing out fossil fuels, support developing nations with financial and technical aid for a clean energy transition, and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies to prioritise renewable energy investments. 
• Enhance Climate Finance: Developed countries must surpass the USD 300 billion annual climate finance goal by 2035, focus on adaptation and loss-and-damage funding for vulnerable nations, and implement innovative mechanisms like carbon and aviation taxes. 
• Promote Technology Transfer: Facilitate affordable technology transfer, build technological capacity through training and research, and foster public-private partnerships for sustainable innovation and deployment. 
• Focus on Adaptation and Risk Reduction: Develop disaster risk reduction strategies, invest in resilient infrastructure, and establish early warning systems to mitigate the impact of climate-induced extreme weather events. 
• Equitable Implementation and Accountability: Uphold equity by reinstating CBDR, establishing transparent accountability for NDCs and finance, and implementing incentives for compliance with penalties for non-compliance. 
• Increase Global Cooperation: In light of the recent developments at COP29 in Baku, there is a need to strengthen multilateral institutions to facilitate unified global action and to establish robust legal frameworks that ensure accountability for non-compliance. 

Drishti Mains Question: 

Discuss the achievements of the Paris Agreement and analyze the challenges in its implementation. Suggest measures to enhance its effectiveness.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year’s Question (PYQs) 

Q1. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a global sea level rise of about one metre by AD 2100. What would be its impact in India and the other countries in the Indian Ocean region? (2023) 

Q2. Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in the light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (2022) 

Q3. Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (2021)