Building on the Momentum of the Paris Agreement

Environment and Climate Change: Building on the Momentum of the Paris Agreement

Rene Wadlow*

The Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, Twenty-first session (COP21) came to an end in Paris, Saturday afternoon, 12 December 2015, a day longer than planned to allow for last moment compromises and an agreement with a few States, mainly Saudi Arabia and Venezuela so that they would not block a consensus agreement. All 195 States plus the European Union had to agree. A treaty is not something that can be created by a majority vote as can be done in a UN General Assembly resolution. On 22 April 2016, there will be a high-level signature ceremony. The Treaty must be ratified by 55 States and will come into force in 2020.

The Treaty arising from the COP 21 will replace the Kyoto Protocol. The new Treaty is relatively short and clear. However, it is the “Preamble” of 140 paragraphs – not legally binding but where all the analysis and aims are set out – that caused difficulties to reach consensus among States with diverse interpretations of “national interest”, of short and longer-range perspectives, and of differing access to national expertise.

The preamble has been under negotiations for the past two years. Although most points had been agreed upon well before the Paris start, some crucial aspects had to be negotiated during the two-week session among both heads of government who came at the start and teams of negotiators, often with a Foreign Minister present, during the rest of the time.

Although it was decided that there would be no mention of migration-refugee flows not even of “climate refugees” nor of terrorism the 13 November terrorist shootings in Paris required very tight security from the French police outside the conference center and from UN guards inside the building. Fear was a widely-spread emotion reflected in the first round of 6 December voting to the French regional assemblies. The National Front, a far-right, xenophobic party, received a larger-number-than-usual votes. Fortunately, in the 13 December, second round of voting, the National Front was defeated and will lead no regional assembly. Although delegates to UN meetings come with instructions from their government, all feel the atmosphere of the place in which they are meeting.

The Paris agreement can be an important step toward a great transformation towards a sustainable world society, especially when seen in the framework of the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals recently agreed upon by these same States. The effectiveness of the steps toward transformation will depend for an important part upon non-governmental efforts at the local and national level.

As could be expected, the agreement is a framework for “country-driven strategies” not a UN-imposed plan of action. “Common but differentiated responsibilities” is the key concept, with “differentiated” being the key word. The emphasis is on “nationally-determined contributions”. However, after 2020, this “pledge” mechanism will have an international review mechanism to see to what extent the national “pledges” have been met and if the world situation requires new measures.

An important aspect of this review process is the emphasis on transparency so that there can be adequate monitoring and verification of emission reductions. This emphasis on transparency and public access to information gives legitimacy to strong NGO monitoring of climate change processes and NGO proposals for improvements. In addition, the Paris preamble recognized that there are many stakeholders in climate change issues beyond governments: the corporate sector, cities, and academic institutions all have important parts to play.

More than in the past, attention was placed on eco-systems rather than on just one factor at a time, such as forests and the dangers of deforestation. An eco-system approach requires looking at forests, soil and water protection, housing, transportation, technology and capacity-building for those working on climate and environmental issues.

The Paris COP 21 has been important in awareness-building and in providing encouragement to cooperation among UN agencies, national governments and NGOs. Our role as NGO representatives is to build on this positive momentum, to increase our expertise and to network more closely with groups in the most vulnerable zones. Paris was an example of dedication and foresight among all the actors. The road ahead to a sustainable world society with green technology may still be long, but the directions is set.

* Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens

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