Paris Climate Agreement Adopted

Setting the scene

By 2015, climate change had become urgent—global temperatures had risen 1°C since pre-industrial times, and the 2009 Copenhagen summit had failed to produce a binding agreement. The Kyoto Protocol (1997) only covered developed nations and the U.S. never ratified it. Scientists warned that without action, warming would exceed 2°C, causing catastrophic impacts. The Paris conference (COP21) was seen as the last chance for a global deal, with 195 nations participating.

What happened

On December 12, 2015, after two weeks of negotiations, 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement. The deal was groundbreaking—it required all nations, developed and developing, to submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions, with a goal of limiting warming to 'well below 2°C' and pursuing 1.5°C. The agreement was legally binding on reporting but not on targets, a compromise to get U.S. and China on board. It included a mechanism for 5-year reviews to increase ambition and $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing nations.

Why it still matters

The Paris Agreement was the first truly global climate deal, covering 97% of emissions. It entered into force in November 2016 after the U.S. and China ratified. However, the U.S. withdrew under Trump in 2020 (rejoined under Biden in 2021), and current pledges put the world on track for 2.7°C warming. The agreement's voluntary nature means enforcement is weak. Despite limitations, Paris created a framework for global climate action and established 1.5°C as the aspirational target. It demonstrated that multilateralism could work on complex issues and has driven renewable energy investment and corporate net-zero pledges.

Background

Nearly every country committed to submit climate targets.