The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 at COP21 in Paris, represents a landmark global effort to address climate change under the framework of the UNFCCC. Its central purpose is to unite nearly every country in the world around a long-term plan to limit global temperature rise. The Agreement sets a collective goal to keep warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while also striving to limit it to 1.5°C, a threshold considered critical for protecting vulnerable communities and ecosystems. This dual target reflects growing scientific evidence about the risks of unchecked climate change and the urgency of coordinated global action.

A key feature of the Paris Agreement is its use of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Instead of imposing top-down, legally binding emissions targets, the Agreement asks each country to set its own climate goals based on its circumstances, capabilities, and developmental priorities. These NDCs must be updated every five years, with the expectation that each revision will be more ambitious than the last. The flexibility of this structure allows for broad participation while creating a mechanism that encourages continuous progress.

Beyond emissions reductions, the Paris Agreement also emphasizes adaptation, resilience, and financial support. It recognizes that many countries, especially developing and climate-vulnerable nations, face immediate threats—from rising seas to extreme weather—that require targeted support. The Agreement calls for developed countries to mobilize financial resources, enhance technology transfer, and build capacity so that all nations can implement climate strategies effectively. Importantly, it also acknowledges the issue of loss and damage, referring to the irreversible impacts of climate change, and creates pathways for cooperation on risk management and response.

To ensure accountability and track global progress, the Agreement includes an Enhanced Transparency Framework and a recurring Global Stocktake. Countries must report emissions, share data on their climate actions, and participate in reviews that assess overall advancement toward the Agreement’s goals. The Global Stocktake, held every five years, evaluates collective progress and informs future NDC updates. Together, these mechanisms reinforce the Agreement’s central idea: long-term, cooperative, and steadily increasing ambition across all nations.