The Paris Agreement And Global Climate Action: Progress, Challenges, And Future Directions

Komal Sharma, Shree L R Tiwari College of Law

Introduction:

A significant turning point in the worldwide community's coordinated effort to fight the growing challenges posed by climate change is the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in December 2015. The Paris Agreement has arisen as a beacon of hope and shared responsibility as anthropogenic activities continue to release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, leading to warming temperatures and significant environmental impacts. This agreement, which was negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)1, constitutes an important step in addressing the pressing need to curb global warming and its effects.

The primary goal of the Paris Agreement is to pursue measures to keep the rise in the average global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while keeping it well below 2 degrees Celsius. This ambitious objective emphasizes the need for rapid and persistent global action and recognises the serious threats that even small temperature increases pose. The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which each participating nation defines in detail its specific plans and intentions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the changing climate, and promote sustainable development, are at the heart of the agreement.