On Earth Day (April 22), representatives from 171 countries gathered in New York to participate in a signing ceremony for the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement was adopted by all 196 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2015. It has been described as “a landmark climate agreement,” because in it nearly every country in the world has promised actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although some scientists say the agreement will not abate a global increase in temperature of 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, others say that the key to the agreement being a global game-changer largely depends on how countries follow through with their commitments.
The cornerstone of the agreement is the global temperature goal, but other key components include GHG targets for countries and transparency reporting rules to motivate countries to meet target pledges. However, the agreement is not a treaty and therefore is non-binding. The rules require GHG targets to be reported every five years beginning in 2020. Developed countries have hard targets; developing countries are encouraged to cut emissions as they are able. A key component of the U.S. goal of reducing its GHG emissions by 26-28 percent by 2020 is EPA’s Clean Power Plan. The Supreme Court put a hold on implementation of the Clean Power Plan pending the outcome of the lawsuit challenging the rule’s validity brought by 29 states and many corporations and industry groups.