The climate conference in Paris
On December 12, 2015, history was made in Paris: the Paris Agreement was passed at the international climate conference, also known as “COP 21”. After many years of intensive negotiations, all states have committed themselves to changing the world economy in a climate-friendly way. This is a historic step – according to the previous regulation in the so-called Kyoto Protocol, only a few industrialized countries were obliged to reduce emissions.
Even at the beginning of the climate conference it became clear that the global community takes the threat from climate change very seriously: Over 150 heads of state and government were on site at the opening in Paris and signaled the unconditional will of the international community to provide a joint response to the threat posed by the Give climate change. The Federal Government was represented by Federal Chancellor Merkel, Federal Environment Minister Hendricks and Federal Development Minister Müller. The delegations negotiated intensively for two weeks – and laid the basis for a new era in international climate protection. The Paris Agreement sends a clear signal for a fundamental change and calls for an economy that takes into account the natural limits of the planet. Fits to,
Paris Agreement
In contrast to the Kyoto Protocol, almost all countries in the world have now defined national climate protection targets. With ratification, the states are obliged under international law to take measures to achieve the goals. Another important part of the agreement: poorer countries are supported financially as well as through knowledge and technology transfer to implement their climate protection measures.
The respective national climate protection goals are determined by the states themselves and were not the subject of the negotiations. However, the agreement obliges the governments to present new targets every five years after a global inventory. And they have to be significantly more ambitious than the previous ones. A committee to monitor implementation and rules on transparency ensure that states comply with their obligations. This regular cycle of increasing ambitions is intended to cope with the problem that the previous climate protection contributions by states are not yet sufficient to adequately curb global warming. The national climate protection targets must therefore be tightened step by step if dangerous climate change is to be avoided.
The primary goal is to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius and, if possible, below 1.5 degrees Celsius. So Paris was just the beginning: All market participants now have a long-term and reliable orientation for the necessary transformation. Our present is already heavily influenced by the implementation of the Paris resolutions – both on an international and a national level.
1. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change
The Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted in 1992. The world has changed fundamentally since then. In 1990 industrialized countries caused around 60 percent of global emissions, today it is only around a third. In 2030, developing countries will be responsible for around three quarters of annual global emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, which previously regulated the limitation of greenhouse gases, is no longer sufficient today. It only legally obliges the EU and a few other industrialized countries to reduce emissions. This covers less than 15 percent of global emissions.
For the first time, the Paris Agreement makes all states responsible for climate protection: All states are obliged under international law to draw up a nationally determined contribution (NDC). And they have to decide on measures to implement it. But it’s not just about reducing emissions. In Paris, ways of adapting to climate change were also decided. The international community supports developing countries financially and technologically, helps to build up knowledge and know-how and to deal with damage caused by climate change. It also helps those responsible in these countries to properly report on climate protection measures and support services.
Submitted NDCS (English)
In Paris, the countries agreed on common goals that they want to achieve with the agreement. Global warming should be limited to well below two degrees Celsius, ideally to 1.5 degrees, compared to the pre-industrial level. This is the first time that these upper limits have been anchored in an international treaty. In order to achieve this goal, no more climate-damaging gases may be emitted in the second half of this century than are withdrawn from the atmosphere through so-called sinks, such as forests. This “greenhouse gas neutrality” can only be achieved if the global economy quickly and consistently converts significantly less carbon, ie if it “decarbonizes” itself. Another goal of the contract:
But who exactly should take on which obligation? That was one of the key issues in Paris that was intensely negotiated. We succeeded in breaking the rigid dichotomy between industrialized and developing countries, which no longer fits today’s changed global economic conditions. The Paris Agreement relies on a different principle, the so-called “differentiated differentiation”. That means: individual subject areas are treated differently. And the respective individual circumstances of the countries are given greater consideration. For example, industrialized countries must continue to provide developing countries with financial and technological support for climate protection. But other countries are also called upon to help if they are able to.
2. States’ climate protection contributions (INDCs)
Almost all states submitted their planned nationally determined contribution (“INDC”) to the agreement in the course of 2015. The treaty obliges all countries to prepare, announce and implement such INDCs. The obligation applies to industrialized countries as well as to emerging and developing countries. In Paris it was already clear that the previous climate protection contributions were not yet sufficient to keep the upper limit of two degrees Celsius. It was therefore decided to set a new deadline for 2020. The states can then update their contributions, which cover the period up to 2025 or 2030, or present new measures. In the future, the federal states will have to update their climate protection targets every five years. The “progression principle” applies: The following contributions must be more ambitious than the previous ones. Two years before the new national measures are presented, a global review is carried out to determine whether the overall goals of the agreement will be achieved. This “global stocktake” makes it clear whether all governments are together on course in the areas of mitigation, adaptation and support. The first such review dialog took place in 2018 as part of the Talanoa Dialog.The focus was on progress made in reducing greenhouse gases. In 2023, the successes in adapting to climate change and supporting other countries will also be checked for the first time. The findings of these reviews are to be taken into account when preparing the next contributions from the states.
It is not easy to determine a global level of aspiration and at the same time to measure the contributions of the individual states to it. That is why the states in Paris agreed to provide information about their national conditions. These will be reviewed by an international body. The reporting and the review are based on common guidelines for industrialized and developing countries, which were drawn up in 2018 as part of the COP 24 in Katowice. The new transparency system of the Paris Agreement is intended to replace the existing two-part system in which the developing countries were only obliged to a very limited extent to transmit information. In the future, these special regulations will only apply to countries get help building capacity – and only temporarily. The aim is to make measures for reduction and financing comparable and thus to create trust and at the same time to be able to exert pressure in the event of non-compliance.
A separate committee was set up in Paris to monitor and support compliance with the agreement – similar to the rating agencies in the financial market. Even if the committee is unlikely to have severe sanctions in place, the actions of the committee have a strong influence on a country’s reputation at international level. This reputation is a precious commodity – after all, governments want to continue to be seen as trustworthy partners on the international stage. The exact powers and mechanisms of the committee will be negotiated in the near future.
3. Finance and Technology
Important decisions were also made at the climate conference on the subject of financing. Global warming can only be limited to well below two degrees Celsius or even to 1.5 degrees if global financial flows are diverted: both public and private investments must support the implementation of the agreed climate targets. The Paris Agreement formulates precisely this as one of its core objectives: the consistency of financial flows with development paths towards a climate-friendly world that is also resistant to the negative effects of climate change. Public climate finance is crucial here. The Paris Agreement continues to oblige industrialized countries to support developing countries in implementing their climate protection efforts. However, other countries are also encouraged to contribute on a voluntary basis. Many emerging countries are already making funds available within the framework of South-South cooperation to support climate protection measures, especially in poorer developing countries. In addition to public climate finance, regulatory measures or economic incentives are an important means of mobilizing additional climate finance. This is described in the Paris Climate Agreement as a global task to which all states should make a contribution, with the industrialized countries also playing a leading role here. These additional funds are intended to contribute to both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Many emerging countries are already making funds available within the framework of South-South cooperation to support climate protection measures, especially in poorer developing countries. In addition to public climate finance, regulatory measures or economic incentives are an important means of mobilizing additional climate finance.
This is described in the Paris Climate Agreement as a global task to which all states should make a contribution, with the industrialized countries also playing a leading role here. These additional funds are intended to contribute to both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Many emerging countries are already making funds available within the framework of South-South cooperation to support climate protection measures, especially in poorer developing countries. In addition to public climate finance, regulatory measures or economic incentives are an important means of mobilizing additional climate finance. This is described in the Paris Climate Agreement as a global task to which all states should make a contribution, with the industrialized countries also playing a leading role here. These additional funds are intended to contribute to both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. In addition to public climate finance, regulatory measures or economic incentives are an important means of mobilizing additional climate finance. This is described in the Paris Climate Agreement as a global task to which all states should make a contribution, with the industrialized countries also playing a leading role here. These additional funds are intended to contribute to both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. In addition to public climate finance, regulatory measures or economic incentives are an important means of mobilizing additional climate finance. This is described in the Paris Climate Agreement as a global task to which all states should make a contribution, with the industrialized countries also playing a leading role here. These additional funds are intended to contribute to both mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
In the decisions made in Paris, a commitment made by the industrialized countries from 2009 is carried forward. They had agreed to mobilize US $ 100 billion annually for climate finance by 2020. This obligation will now be extended until 2025. A new, higher target for the mobilization of financial resources is to be set for the period after 2025. The industrialized countries are obliged to report on this, and other countries are also encouraged to report on the funds made available or mobilized as climate finance.
In Paris, the governments have also strengthened regulations on technology development and transfer. This applies to climate protection as well as to adaptation to climate change. In the future, the needs of developing countries will be examined more precisely. The collaboration should start in the early phases of the technology cycle and run transparently.
Developing countries with weak administrative structures receive special support in order to cope with the increased requirements, for example in the area of reporting, and to be able to successfully plan and implement effective adaptation and mitigation measures.
4. Adapting and dealing with the damage caused by climate change
The States parties wish to increase their own and joint efforts to secure development against the effects of climate change. In particular, the vulnerable poorest countries and island states are to be supported here. The worldwide adjustment efforts are processed and the effectiveness is checked. The international community will also develop cooperation in various areas such as weather observation.
Dealing with losses and damage caused by climate change is anchored in a separate article in the agreement. This fulfills a demand made by the particularly vulnerable states. The states should expand their cooperation in the development of comprehensive risk management. Under the agreement, for example, proposed solutions for displacement caused by climate change are to be developed. In addition, an information platform for climate risk insurance is being established. It is also intended to give people with low incomes financial protection against, for example, climate-related crop failures. However, the new regulation does not offer developing countries any possibility of demanding compensation or liability for the consequences of climate change. The existing international law remains unaffected.
5. The LIMA Paris Action Agenda
Successful climate protection requires a comprehensive transformation. It is a task for society as a whole. In addition to states, other actors should also support the process. The “Lima-Paris Action Agenda” was launched for this purpose. This generic term covers a large number of measures and goals of individual companies that actively pursue climate protection. It also includes many initiatives and actors who are already showing successful paths in climate protection. This “firework” of new, ambitious ideas concretizes and complements the contributions of the states.
During the climate conference in Paris, theme days were held on these initiatives, for example in the areas of buildings, transport and agriculture. Renewable energies, energy efficiency and forest protection were also on the agenda. Regions, cities, companies and other non-state actors also showed what they contribute to climate protection. Germany took an active part in the theme days. The federal government supports the international agricultural initiative 4 pour 1000, the transport initiative MobilizeYourCity and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction for energy efficiency in buildings. There is an overview of the many initiatives at the United Nations.
LIMA Paris Action Agenda of the UN
The networks that have emerged as part of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda are to be further strengthened in the future. For this reason, events with high-ranking participation will also take place at future climate conferences. Successful solutions are to be presented and the further development of the initiatives discussed.
