The Paris Agreement: Keeping Global Warming within 1.5 Degrees by 2100
The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 by 195 countries, aims to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). This ambitious goal is critical in preventing catastrophic consequences of climate change such as rising sea levels, more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, and floods.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that global warming above 1.5°C would lead to drastic and irreversible impacts on the planet`s ecosystems, oceans, and human communities. According to the IPCC`s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, released in 2018, we have little more than a decade to cut global carbon emissions in half and eliminate them by 2050 to stay within the 1.5°C limit.
The Paris Agreement aims to achieve this goal by providing a framework for countries to submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that outline their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The NDCs are updated every five years with increasingly ambitious targets and measures, and are subject to a transparency and accountability regime to ensure their implementation.
The Paris Agreement also provides for the establishment of a global stocktake every five years to assess the collective progress towards the long-term goal. The first stocktake will take place in 2023, and will inform the updating of the NDCs for the next cycle. The Paris Agreement also recognizes the need for developed countries to provide financial and technological support to developing countries to enable them to transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies.
Despite the significant progress made under the Paris Agreement, the latest UN Emissions Gap Report warns that the current NDCs are insufficient to keep the global temperature rise below 2°C, let alone 1.5°C. The report calls for urgent and ambitious action by all countries to scale up their efforts and close the emissions gap.
As individuals, we can also contribute to the collective effort to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius by making sustainable choices in our daily lives, such as reducing our energy consumption, eating a plant-based diet, using public transportation or walking, and supporting renewable energy and green technologies. By working together, we can prevent the worst impacts of climate change and ensure a livable planet for ourselves and future generations.