What is the Paris Agreement and what are its goals?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2015. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and to provide financial support to help developing countries transition to low-carbon economies.

The Paris Agreement builds upon the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is based on voluntary contributions from individual countries called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Each country sets its own targets and policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and these targets are periodically reviewed and updated to reflect new scientific knowledge and technological advances.

The Paris Agreement is significant because it represents a global effort to address the threat of climate change, which has the potential to cause significant social, economic, and environmental damage. By working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy, countries can help to mitigate the worst effects of climate change and build a more sustainable future.