The Paris Agreement, signed by nearly 200 countries in 2015, is an international agreement aimed at combating climate change. The agreement aims to keep the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this goal, the countries that signed the agreement agreed to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the effects of climate change.
In order to implement the Paris Agreement, the parties to the agreement developed guidelines, which were adopted at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) in Katowice, Poland in 2018. These guidelines provide the framework for how the Paris Agreement will be implemented, and set out a number of key provisions.
One of the key provisions of the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines is the requirement for countries to submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs) detailing their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These NDCs must be submitted every five years, and must be more ambitious than the previous contribution. This is intended to ensure that countries are taking significant steps towards reducing their emissions, and that progress is continually being made.
Another important element of the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines is the requirement for countries to report on their progress in reducing emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. This reporting is intended to be transparent, and will be subject to review by other countries to ensure that countries are meeting their commitments under the agreement.
The guidelines also provide for international cooperation and support to help countries meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement. This includes financial and technological support, capacity-building, and the transfer of knowledge and best practices.
Overall, the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines provide a clear framework for how the agreement will be implemented and how countries will work together to combat climate change. The guidelines are an important step forward in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.