One of the main outcomes of the 2015 Paris Agreement was that the United States and China were originally signed, although the United States has not caved in since. Together, the United States and China account for about 43% of global emissions: 28% to China and 15% to the United States. All signatories agreed to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to rising temperatures and other risks that affect the world. Another important element of the agreement is that it includes countries that depend on oil and gas extraction revenues. The American people believe in climate change – and they are determined to address it. While the Paris Agreement ultimately aims to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century, many studies evaluating the voluntary commitments of some countries in Paris show that the cumulative effect of these emission reductions will not be significant enough to keep temperatures below that ceiling. Indeed, the targets set by the target countries should limit the future increase in temperature between 2.7 and 3.7 degrees Celsius. At the same time, recent assessments of countries` developments in the framework of their climate targets in Paris indicate that some countries are already not meeting their commitments. Another key difference between the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol is its scope.
While the Kyoto Protocol distinguishes between Schedule 1 countries and those not annexed to Schedule 1, this branch is scrambled in the Paris Agreement, as all parties must submit emission reduction plans. [34] While the Paris Agreement continues to emphasize the principle of « common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities » – the recognition that different nations have different capacities and duties to combat climate change – it does not offer a specific separation between developed and developing countries. [34] It therefore appears that negotiators will have to continue to address this issue in future rounds of negotiations, although the debate on differentiation could take on a new dynamic. [35] The two-week conference that led to the agreement was held in Paris in December 2015. As of August 2020, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement and 189 are on their part. The Paris Agreement replaces the 2005 Kyoto Protocol. The Paris Agreement was launched at the signing on April 22, 2016 (Earth Day) at a ceremony in New York. [59] After the agreement was ratified by several EU member states in October 2016, there were enough countries that had ratified the agreement to produce enough greenhouse gases in the world for the agreement to enter into force. [60] The agreement came into force on November 4, 2016. [2] From 30 November to 11 December 2015, France hosted representatives from 196 countries at the end of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UN), one of the largest and most ambitious global meetings ever held.