3 things to know about the Paris Climate Agreement
Of the many environmental negotiations that have taken place throughout the years, it is perhaps the Paris Agreement which has remained in the spotlight the longest. If you’ve always wondered what this agreement is and why it is important, but haven’t had the time to dig into it, you’ve come to the right place. Let us begin.
#1 What is the Paris Climate Agreement?
The Paris Climate Agreement is a settlement between nations aimed at tackling climate change. This accord focuses on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions worldwide in order to not surpass a rise in average global temperatures of 2ºC over pre-industrial levels during this current century. More specifically, the agreement calls for an effort to further limit to 1.5ºC in increase.
Since the agreement couldn’t become active until 55 countries that represent at least 55% of worldwide emissions had officially joined, it took effect on October 5 2016 – nearly a year after the United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in Paris – and went into force 30 days later.
In short, the Paris Agreement calls for all major emitting nations to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and to reinforce their commitment to do so throughout the years. It also asks for all countries – developed, developing and underdeveloped – to create their own plan to reduce pollution, as well as to monitor, reassess, and publicly report their progress every five years. Lastly. The agreement requests for developed nations to provide financial support to undeveloped nations, which have contributed the least to climate change yet will be affected by it the most.
This accord, however, is not legally binding and those nations which fail in reaching their set of pollution reduction objectives cannot be fined or penalized in any way.
#2 Why is the Paris Climate Agreement Important?
Negotiations surrounding climate change are far from being a novelty, in fact, they started more than 20 years ago. Therefore, society has witnessed a parade of conferences, meetings and conventions featuring world leaders over the past decades, all of which have led to – let’s face it – more conferences, meeting and conventions:
1992 – Rio de Janeiro United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
World leaders get together to begin to take action against climate change but fail in establishing which specific actions they should take. This results in five years of disputes between nations.
1997 – Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
World leaders join once again and settle a deal requiring global reductions in emissions of 5% in relation to emission levels of 1990. Whereas developed countries are assigned emission cut targets, developing countries such as China, India and Mexico aren’t assigned any and are actually allowed to continue increasing their emissions. All of which barely makes any difference whatsoever, until the treaty finally comes into force in 2004 when – at last – 55% of nations representing global emissions ratify it.
2009 – Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change Conference
World leaders from both developed and developing countries recognize that they have to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement, however, fails to set specific targets and to truly become a legally binding treaty.
2010 – Cancun United Nations Climate Change Conference
Once again, world leaders from both developed and developing countries meet to formally pledge what they had already informally pledged in Copenhagen the previous year. The formal agreement, however, again fails to become a truly legally binding treaty.
So, why exactly is the Paris Agreement important after all?
The most honest answer is that the Paris Agreement will prove its importance once we actually see results in the form of meaningful changes with respect to tackling climate change.
Other than this, it does present a turning point in that it is the first time that as much as 174 states– in addition to the European Union – sign a treaty and agree with the fact that climate change is a real issue that deserves to be addressed as such. Whether their targets and plans will be collecting dust inside a cabinet or truly put into practice is yet to be seen.
#3 How to Hold Our home Country Accountable?
Change starts within. Thus, the first thing we can do to hold our home country accountable is to take responsibility for our own daily actions. We are an important part of our country after all, aren’t we?
A good place to start is by looking into our daily activities and deciding on things we can do differently to decrease our own greenhouse gas emissions, for example:
Decrease our gasoline usage by walking or biking short distances, and by opting for a transportation that burns less fossil fuels per person such as the subway, bus, train, or even carpooling for longer distances.
Reduce our meat and dairy consumption.
Purchase energy efficient appliances to use at home and be aware of our electricity usage as an individual and as a family.
Decrease the amount of food waste we produce and compost.
Give our money to truly responsible companies. Every dollar we give is a vote, and if we vote for companies that are acting for the benefit of the world they will thrive while the rest dwindles and perishes.
It is important to share our experiences or actions with our family, friends, and community. We can also reach people beyond our immediate circle by using social media or blogs to communicate about what we’ve learned.
Once we have taken responsibility for our own actions and shared our knowledge, we can go ahead and ask for our local government to act in the face of climate change. We can do this by sending a letter to our governor, joining a local or national initiative, and participating in peaceful demonstrations.
An Agreement to Save Ourselves
The Paris Agreement is definitely the first climate change accord to take into account all developed, developing and underdeveloped nations under its umbrella. Requiring all countries to plan, set goals, and report their greenhouse gas emissions reduction progress. It is, however, a not legally binding treaty, meaning that countries will not be sanctioned if they fail at reaching their objectives.
It is to be seen in the near future if this will actually be a turning point in the political history of humanity or just another conference that ended in the planning of succeeding conferences.
Meanwhile, what we should focus on is what we, and the people around us, can do to tackle climate change. After all it is not just any challenge, it is a challenge that will decide whether or not we – humans – survive. Should we really wait for a political agreement to work in order to save ourselves?
Let us know about your opinions, thoughts or ideas in the comment section below!
Sources
http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/paris-climate-agreement-everything-you-need-know
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/dec/13/cancun-climate-agreement
by: Maria André