On December 12, 2015, nearly 200 countries at the Conference of Parties (COP) 21 in Paris agreed to an ambitious agreement to limit global climate change. This transparent and accountable agreement aims to: strengthen long-term ambition; establish a universal approach for all countries; lock in five year target cycles; ratchet up ambition over time; rigorously assess global climate action; and send a market signal on innovation and technology.
This new global framework primes countries to work together to keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and sets an ambitious vision to go even farther than that. In addition, this agreement aims to motivate the private sector to utilize new investments and innovation in order to achieve climate objectives while continuing to stimulate and grow the global economy.
Read more about the Paris agreement here, and watch the President’s remarks about the agreement here.
The Pacific Islands played a large role in crafting an ambitious climate agreement. Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Tony de Brum was one of the leading climate negotiators in Paris, spearheading the Coalition of Ambition that motivated such a bold and historic agreement. To learn more about the Pacific Islands’ involvement in COP 21 and how the outcomes will impact the region, read the next Pacific Pandanus newsletter, which will be out in January.