The EU`s first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement was the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 within the broader climate and energy framework by 2030. All key EU legislation to achieve this goal has been adopted by the end of 2018. The Paris Agreement marks the beginning of a transition to a low-carbon world – much more needs to be done. The implementation of the agreement is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as it includes a roadmap for climate action that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience. The Paris Agreement is a bridge between today`s policies and climate neutrality before the end of the century. The Katowice Package, adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) in December 2018, contains common and detailed rules, procedures and guidelines that make the Paris Agreement operational. The Paris Agreement is the first universal and legally binding global climate agreement adopted at the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) in December 2015. The agreement recognises the role of non-party actors in the fight against climate change, including cities, other sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector and others. The agreement contains commitments from all countries to reduce their emissions and work together to adapt to the effects of climate change and calls on countries to strengthen their commitments over time. The agreement provides an opportunity for developed countries to assist developing countries in their mitigation and adaptation efforts, while providing a framework for transparent monitoring and reporting on countries` climate goals. As a contribution to the objectives of the agreement, countries have submitted comprehensive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
These are not yet sufficient to meet the agreed temperature targets, but the agreement points the way for further action. Outside of formal intergovernmental negotiations, countries, cities and regions, businesses and members of civil society around the world are taking action to accelerate cooperative climate action in support of the Paris Agreement as part of the Global Climate Action Programme. The Paris Agreement establishes a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and striving to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen the capacity of countries to cope with the effects of climate change and to support them in their efforts. It will also allow the parties to progressively improve their contributions to the fight against climate change in order to achieve the long-term objectives of the agreement. Climate change is a global emergency that transcends national borders. This is an issue that requires coordinated solutions at all levels and international cooperation to help countries move towards a low-carbon economy. To combat climate change and its negative impacts, 197 countries adopted the Paris Agreement at COP21 on 12 September. It was adopted in Paris in December 2015.
The agreement, which entered into force less than a year later, aims to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius this century, while looking for ways to further limit the increase to 1.5 degrees. The EU is at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change. He was instrumental in negotiating the Paris Agreement and continues to demonstrate global leadership. The Paris Agreement provides a sustainable framework that will guide global efforts in the coming decades. The aim is to increase countries` climate ambitions over time. To this end, the agreement provides for two review processes, each of which goes through a five-year cycle. In 2018, delegates at COP 24, held in Katowice, Poland, adopted a comprehensive set of rules that flesh out the operational details of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement officially entered into force on 4 November 2016. Other countries continued to become parties to the Convention as they had completed their national approval procedures. To date, 195 Contracting Parties have signed the Convention and ratified 189.
More information on the Paris Agreement and the status of ratification is available here. Today, 189 countries have joined the Paris Agreement. In December 2020, the EU presented in its updated and improved NDC the target of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, as well as information to facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding (ICTU) of the NDC. The EU and its Member States have jointly committed to achieving the binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels of at least 55%. .
