What is the Paris Agreement?
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was originally adopted by 196 countries at COP21, in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015.
The aims of the Paris Agreement are (1):
- to stop the increase in global average temperature well below 2C;
- aiming limit it to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels;
- preserve and enhance the natural environment; and
- achieve net zero (limit human greenhouse gases to the same levels that nature can absorb).
How does it work?
Signatories are required to (2):
- Submit an updated national climate action plan, otherwise known as a nationally determined contribution (NDCs), every five years;
- Contribute to the “Global Stocktake” in which global progress is measured and reported;
- Publicly report on their progress and actions, as well as publish their greenhouse gases inventory annually; and
- Developed countries are asked to provide support and funding for less developed countries to improve their ability to adapt and mitigate climate-related impacts.
While the Paris Agreement is described as ‘legally binding’, there is no hard enforcement. Instead, the parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meet regularly and hold each other accountable.
Annual meetings are the Conferences of the Parties (COP). The UNFCC secretariat promotes compliance and oversees implementation, with various sub-committees dealing with specific aspects of the agreement.
Why is it needed?
The consequences of 2C temperature increase, while not set in stone, are predicted to be dangerous for the planet. Scientists predict that, a 2C increase in temperature (3) would mean that:
- 37% of the global population would be exposed to severe heat;
- Sea level rise would increase to 0.46 meters; and
- Up to 20% of plant and insect species would lose their habitats.
What does it mean for the Isle of Man?
While the Isle of Man was not a signatory to the original agreement, the United Kingdom extended its ratification of the Agreement to us in 2022. We are now required to contribute to the UK’s NDCs. While we don’t have to match their targets, we do need to show our ongoing commitment to emissions reductions. We don’t report to the UN directly – our reporting first goes to the UK and is then sent, along with the rest of the UK’s data, to the UN.
To have the Paris Agreement extended to the Isle of Man, we first had to show our commitment to climate action (e.g., our Climate Change Plan 2022-2027) and provide our relevant laws (e.g., The Climate Change Act 2021).
The Isle of Man reports biennially to the UK’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero on policies and progress in relation to climate change mitigation and adaptation. These reports are fed into the UK’s, alongside reports from other jurisdictions to which UK ratification has been extended, such as Jersey and Guernsey.
If we fail to show our continued ambition and progress in reducing our emissions, the UK could withdraw ratification, which could harm our international reputation.
[1] UNFCCC - https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement
[2] United Nations - https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement
[3] Climate Council (2023) - https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/impacts-degrees-warming/