introduction to the paris agreement

european capacity building initiative ecbiIntroduction to the Paris Agreement

Dr. Achala AbeysinghePrincipal Researcher/ Team Leader

Global Climate Law, Policy and [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

european capacity building initiative ecbi

Focus of the presentation

• Overall analysis• Provisions of the Paris Agreement• Governance structure• What’s next?

2


Overall analysis• ‘A major win for multilateralism and

climate diplomacy’

• ‘Truly global agreement’

• ‘Unprecedented global collaboration on an issue where divisions were deep and stakes were high’

• ‘Proved that political leadership, combining economic incentives and peer pressure, guided intelligently by the United Nations , can produce the effective global agreements’

3

european capacity building initiative ecbiWhy is it important?

• Legally binding agreement• Universal participation• Many new elements to address climate change

4


PreambleArticle 1: DefinitionsArticle 2: purposeArticle 3: Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCsArticle 4: MitigationArticle 5: Greenhouse gas sinks and reservoirs and REDD+Article 6: Cooperative approachesArticle 7: AdaptationArticle 8: Loss and damage Article 9: Finance Article 10: Technology development and transferArticle 11: Capacity buildingArticle 12: Climate change awareness and educationArticle 13: TransparencyArticle 14: Global stocktake Article 15: Facilitating implementation and compliance


Article 16: Conference of the Parties serving as meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA)Article 17: SecretariatArticle 18: SBI and SBSTAArticle 19: Other bodies and institutional arrangements to serve the AgreementArticle 20: Signature and ratificationArticle 21: Entry into forceArticle 22: AmendmentsArticle 23: AnnexesArticle 24: Dispute settlementArticle 25: VotingArticle 26: DepositoryArticle 27: ReservationsArticle 28: Withdrawal Article 29: Languages


Paris Agreement

Mitigation(Art 3-6)

Adaptation(Art 7)

Loss & damage(Art 8)

Global goal

Art. 2

Action areas

Implementation Techniques

Information based approaches1. Transparency mechanism (Art 13) ?2. Global Stocktake (Art 14) ?3. Education ( Art 12) ?

Facilitation based approaches

1. Finance (Art 9) ?2. Technology development and transfer (Art 10) ?3. Capacity building (art 11) ?4. International cooperation (Art 4-6) ?

Compliance & dispute settlement1. Compliance mechanism (Art 15) ?2. Dispute settlements (Art 24) ?

Ref. Prof. Jorge E. Vinuales


Key provisions

Temperature goal

• keep global temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial level while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C; increase the ability to adapt

Mitigation

• Aims to reach global peaking of emissions as soon as possible, to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century

• All countries to submit INDCs and ensure they progress over time.

• All countries are encouraged to formulate and submit a long term low-emission development strategy

Adaptation

• Establishes a global goal on adaptation to ensure an adequate adaptation response in the context of the temperature goal.

• All countries should submit adaptation communications, detailing adaptation priorities, support needs, plans and actions, which should be updated periodically. .


Finance

• Developed countries will provide financial resources to developing countries to assist them with their mitigation and adaptation efforts, and will report their public

• The commitment of US$100 billion annually will be the floor– a higher goal will be set sometime before 2025.

Tech dev and Transfer

• Existing technology mechanism to serve the Agreement

• A technology framework that provides strategic guidance.

• The agreement also stipulates that financial support will be provided to developing countries to address technology development and transfer.

Capacity building• Emphasizes the

capacity building needs of countries with the least capacity such as the LDCs and SIDS

european capacity building initiative ecbiTransparency

• Establishes an enhanced transparency framework to enhance the transparency of action and support,

• It is facilitative and non-punitive.

• Developing countries will receive support for the implementation of the transparency arrangements.

Global Stocktake

• A global stocktake will take place every five years from 2023 onwards, to assess collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Agreement and its long-term goals.

Facilitating implementation and

compliance

•The Agreement establishes a mechanism, consisting of a committee of experts, to facilitate implementation in a transparent and non-punitive manner, and promote compliance with the Paris Agreement.


Ratcheting up ambition• Communicate contributions (NDCs) -

every 5 years

• Reporting on progress every 2 years

• Technical Expert Review and Multilateral consideration - of information reported

• Stock-take - of Parties’ aggregate progress toward global goals, to inform next set of NDCs - every 5 years

• Compliance Committee – standing body to facilitate implementation, promote compliance

“Holding…wellbelow 2oC” AND“pursuing efforts

to limit…to 1.5oC”

Global peaking;then emissions to

net zero in 2nd halfof century

NationallyDetermined

Contributions(NDCs)

5 year NDC cycles –“progression” &“highest possible

ambition”

2018Facilitative

Dialogue and 5yearly global

stocktake


Governance of the Paris Agreement

• The Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement will govern the business related to the Paris Agreement (starts after the entry into force of the Agreement).

• Subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC (SBI and SBSTA) will continue to serve the Paris Agreement. If necessary, the CMA may establish additional subsidiary bodies that are needed for the implementation of the agreement.

• An Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) will prepare the entry into force of the agreement and develop further rules and guidance.

12


What’s next?

• Signing of the Paris Agreement on 22nd April 2016

• Domestic ratification process starts• Ad hoc working group on Paris Agreement will

start its work in May (see the agenda on the UNFCCC website)


Thank you!

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

introduction to the paris agreement

Government & Nonprofit