{"id":71391,"date":"2020-11-30T10:53:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T05:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=71391"},"modified":"2021-05-08T18:07:41","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T12:37:41","slug":"paris-agreement-goals-are-not-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/paris-agreement-goals-are-not-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Agreement goals are not enough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Context:\u00a0<\/strong>The\u00a0Paris Agreement\u00a0fall short to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n

What are the different conventions, declarations related to environment conservation?<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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  1. Stockholm Convention<\/strong>\u2013<\/li>\n
  2. Objective\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 It is a\u00a0global treaty\u00a0to protect\u00a0human health and the environment\u00a0from Persistent Organic Pollutants.<\/li>\n
  3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio Conference.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    • A distinction was made between the \u201cluxury emissions\u201d of the developed countries, which were reduced mandatorily, and the survival emissions of the developed countries, which were allowed to increase.<\/li>\n
    • Financial package was approved to develop environment-friendly technologies in developing countries.<\/li>\n
    • A significant accomplishment of the summit was an agreement on the\u00a0Climate Change Convention\u00a0which in turn led to the\u00a0Kyoto Protocol\u00a0and the\u00a0Paris Agreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      1. Issues-<\/strong>\u00a0Critics pointed out that many of the agreements made in the Rio have not been realized regarding such fundamental issues as fighting poverty and cleaning up the environment.<\/li>\n
      2. The Kyoto protocol<\/strong>\u2013
        \n
        \nObjective-<\/strong>\u00a0In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted which aimed to achieve a legally binding emissions reduction by industrialized countries.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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        • Legally binding<\/strong>\u2013 Equity and Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR), legally binding targets for 39 developed countries. No legally binding targets for developing countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          1. Failure of Kyoto Protocol-<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              \n
            • Exclusion of developing countries\u00a0<\/strong>from emissions reduction targets notably Brazil, South Africa, India and China made the Kyoto Protocol inequitable. Ultimately failed to induce significant emission reductions on a global scale.<\/li>\n
            • A very\u00a0low number\u00a0of member countries\u00a0ratified\u2013 For example: USA never ratified.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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              1. Paris Agreement-<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                  \n
                • Objective-<\/strong>\u00a0To strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and specifies long-term goals regarding global average temperatures, adaptation to climate change and finance flows.<\/li>\n
                • Temperature-<\/strong>\u00a0Hold warming below 2\u00b0C above pre-industrial levels with effective efforts to limit warming to 1.5\u00b0C.<\/li>\n
                • Makes all nations voluntarily commit on their own domestic emission reduction targets and incur no penalties for falling short of their targets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                    \n
                  1. \n
                    Issues and challenges with Paris Agreement-<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                      \n
                    • No enforcement mechanism<\/strong>\u2013 As the agreement is not legally binding in nature there are no penalties to be imposed in case of non-compliance.<\/li>\n
                    • Commitment issue<\/strong>\u2013 It does not include any firm commitments by countries to reduce carbon emissions.<\/li>\n
                    • Unsustainable targets<\/strong>\u2013 The world reached at almost 1degree Celsius warming post industrialization and the Paris contributions are not enough to maintain 2 degree Celsius levels.<\/li>\n
                    • The scientific community has already rejected the Paris Agreement as a solution.<\/li>\n
                    • USA withdrawal<\/strong>\u2013 USA recently pulled out from the agreement seriously damaging the global effort to reverse climate change. This has created new barriers and more pressure on rest of the nations in achieving the targets of Paris agreement.<\/li>\n
                    • Russia, the fifth largest emitter, hasn\u2019t even bothered to make a pledge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                      What is the way forward?<\/strong><\/h5>\n
                        \n
                      • Collaborative responses \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The pathway to avoiding\u00a0an\u00a0even hotter world, require\u00a0a\u00a0swift\u00a0and\u00a0complete transformation not just\u00a0of the\u00a0global economy, but\u00a0of\u00a0society too.<\/li>\n
                      • All countries need to step up, accept that global emissions must reach net zero by 2050 and take very large steps to make it happen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        For example-<\/strong>\u00a0Improvements in energy efficiency, while closing 2,400 coal plants and replacing them with renewables within the next decade.<\/p>\n

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                        International Conventions and Organizations<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n