#AFTERPARIS Open. Your. Eyes.
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PARIS AGREEMENT The Climate Negotiations or COP 21 held in December 2015 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and attended by 196 countries resulted in the Paris Agreement, which is considered a universal and comprehensive global agreement that accommodates the multiple interests in addressing climate change. But an Agreement will not mean much – if it is not being implemented. To ensure its implementation, the Agreement must first be ratified (i.e. adopted as State law) by 55 World Leaders who attended COP 21. As young people, we must support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which must begin with an understanding of the points covered in the Agreement, highlighted innovations, and what needs to be done to limit an increase of 2°C in global temperature. To help you understand this better, take a look at the 5 key of points the Paris Agreement that Oxfam has put together:
1. MitigaTION The Agreement welcomes the efforts of Non-Party actors, including civil society, the private sector, financial institutions, city and sub-national governments, local and indigenous communities, all of whom are committed to holding an increase in the global average temperature well below 2°C and strive to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. These measures were taken to significantly reduce risks and impacts of climate change and this half century will be used to rapidly reduce emissions. This also means that mitigation actions undertaken by various actors will lead to a global commitment on the temperature increase of 2°C. Each Country must contribute to this global commitment, which can be done by decreasing carbon emissions 20% below BAU (Business as usual) levels in 2030 and 41% with the aid of international funding. The Agreement mentions that this commitment to limit the global increase in temperature also applies to the economy. It is therefore important for economic actors, including private companies, to have better awareness, prevent and re-evaluate their economic activities.
2. ADAPtation After the Agreement has been signed, an Adaptation Committee will review all of the adaptation requirements and actors that are involved, especially developing Countries. This review will begin in 2017 to ensure the mandate of the second year of the three-year plan (2015-2018) and to prepare recommendations for the Countries to consider. This Agreement also binds the responsibility of developed Countries to provide financial resources to developing Countries to improve the implementation of their policies, strategies, regulations and national adaptation plans as well as climate change actions more so than for Countries that have begun their adaptation actions. Adaptation will be connected with mitigation and loss and damage mechanisms, particularly for developing Countries seeking funding. Indonesia will need to prepare optimal strategy scenarios that include adaptation measure, including creating and using technologies to find climate and extreme weather-resistant rice varieties, rights-based irrigation and clean water management, environmental stewardship, and use of organic materials that are efficient and environmentally friendly.
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These five points are good news since the climate change negotiations began. Nonetheless, the Paris Agreement cannot solve the climate problem without a collective commitment. It is our responsibility to continue to ensure the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
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3. Climate Financing The Agreement states that funding will be consistently channeled and support measures in reducing emissions and climate-resistant development. Therefore, the Agreement clearly encourages developed Countries to ramp up their climate financing to developing Countries to USD 100 billion per year by 2020. This responsibility to mobilize climate finances rests in the hands of the developed countries. Nonetheless, non-Country actors are encouraged to voluntarily provide financial support as well. Every two years, a review of climate financing will be conducted. The Agreement also acknowledged the importance of adequate and predictable financing sources.
4. Capacity & Technological Transfer High carbon emitting developed countries will transfer their technologies and capacities to developing countries according to a guideline based on a summary of the technological needs and capacity gap analysis of developing countries. This will also be useful to avoid duplication of efforts. The Paris Agreement also outlines the establishment of a Paris Committee for capacity development, which is tasked with monitoring technology and capacity flow from the developed countries to developing countries. Developed countries will also ensure increased financial and technical support for its implementation and support developing countries by providing a 2016-2020 work plan and annual reports, all of which will be reviewed at COP24.
5. Damage and Loss Mechanism One of the main breakthroughs of this Agreement is addressing of loss and damage from climate change as its own element. The Agreement recognizes the importance of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow onset events, and the role of sustainable development in reducing the risks of loss and damage. These measures include early warning systems; emergency preparedness; slow onset events; events that may involve irreversible and permanent loss and damage; comprehensive risk assessment and management; risk insurance facilities; climate risk pooling and other insurance solutions; non-economic losses; and resilience of communities, livelihoods and ecosystems.
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