COP21

COP21, or the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was held in Paris, France, from November 30 to December 12, 2015. It produced the Paris Agreement, a global climate accord aimed at strengthening the world’s response to climate change. The central temperature goal is to hold the global average temperature increase well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the rise to 1.5°C.

Under the agreement, each party must prepare and regularly update nationally determined contributions (NDCs) outlining its plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate impacts. A five-year cycle is established for enhancing ambition, with a global stocktake every five years to assess collective progress. The treaty also creates a transparency framework for reporting and review of actions and finance, intended to build trust and accountability.

Finance and support for developing countries are addressed, including a long-standing aim for developed countries to mobilize climate finance to support mitigation and adaptation, with attention to adaptation, resilience, and loss and damage.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding framework in procedural aspects, while the specific emission targets are set by each country domestically through their NDCs. The agreement was adopted by consensus on December 12, 2015, and entered into force on November 4, 2016, after sufficient ratifications, marking a turning point in international climate diplomacy.