Paris agreement and its failure to address the climate change

General Studies Paper 3

Context: Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its State of the Global Climate 2022 report which pointed out that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has been ineffective in fulfilling its agenda.

The Paris Agreement that serves as the centre point of ongoing global negotiation on climate change was inked in 2015.

What has the Report Highlighted on Performance of Paris Agreement?

Inability to Achieve Climate Related Goals:

• After signing of the Agreement, the last eight years (2015-2022) have consecutively been the warmest years on record globally.
• The situation could have been far worse if the La Nina weather event had not occurred in the past three years, which has a cooling effect on the weather system.
• Globally updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to limit global warming to 1.5°C have failed even to achieve 2°C target.
• The Paris Agreement has not been able to equitably phase out fossil fuels predominantly responsible for the climate crisis.
• Neither the NDCs nor the disaster risk reduction and climate risk management plans are in place to combat climate-induced extreme weather phenomena.

Suggestions:

• To complement the Paris Agreement, a new global framework in the form of a Fossil Fuel Treaty should be introduced.
• Most industrialised and emission-belching countries should be made to follow the Paris Agreement’s commitments.
• Accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts is needed as tools, the knowledge, and the solutions are available.
• There is a need to undertake massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis.