Together against Climate Change

The Paris Climate Change Conference, which lasted from November 30 to December 11, 2015, concluded with thousands of delegates from over 195 countries finally reaching a consensus. After a series of climate talks and efforts, an accord was adopted in which countries will commit to lessening the contributing factors to climate change like greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Climate Agreement implores every country, rich or poor, to participate in the plea against climate change.

The long term goal of the agreement is to hold the increase in the global average temperature at 2 degrees Celsius and if possible, limit it below 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this goal, countries are reminded of the “pre-2020 Ambition,” which aims to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere before the year 2020, and the “Kyoto Protocol,” an international treaty for climate change that had its first commitment from 2008 to 2012. The “Kyoto Protocol” will be replaced by the Paris Climate Agreement.

The agreement emphasized the urgent need for developed countries to provide financial support, technological guidance, and capacity-building assistance to developing countries to help achieve the pre-2020 ambition. The participation of private sectors, civic organizations, financial institutions, subnational authorities, and indigenous groups in the Paris Climate Agreement is also encouraged.

The Paris Climate Agreement is seen by many as a historic breakthrough as it is believed that climate change is an urgent and potentially irreversible problem that needs everyone’s contribution for it to be solved. Some even say that the agreement may be the last hope of mankind to save the Earth.

U.S. President Barack Obama says it is “a turning point for the world.” He adds that the Paris Climate Agreement creates the mechanism and the architecture for people to continually tackle the problem on climate change in an effective way.

Critics, on the other hand, say that the agreement did not focus well on specific issues. One example they stated was the lack of distinct parameters as to how much each country should reduce their greenhouse emissions. They also think that the goals are too ambitious and the timeframe is too limited. Nevertheless, they just hold on to the possibility of the agreement’s success.

The agreement calls for a signature ceremony in April 2016, but the delegates requested that the U.N. Secretary-General keep the agreement open for signing until April 2017. Until then, countries are already asked to start redesigning their plans for the plea against climate change. They are asked to update their plans so that the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement can be fully achieved.