The Paris Targets
Escalating global warming is threatening the very existence of life on our planet and must be contained. The 2015 Paris Agreement sets an absolute upper limit of 2°C on increase in global mean temperature by the end of this century. It also calls for ample efforts to limit the warming to a less risky 1.5°C. In order to make progress towards meeting these targets, countries are bound to submit emissions reduction plans called 'Nationally Determined Contributions' (NDCs) every five years. While the Agreement speaks of the ‘highest possible ambition’, and specifies that every plan must be more ambitious than the one that preceded it, there is no mechanism to ensure that these voluntary NDCs are geared towards limiting warming to 1.5°C or even 2°C. Countries announced their first NDCs in 2015; the next round is due in 2020.
Related Content
- Emissions gap report 2023: broken record – temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)
- Production gap report 2023
- Net zero roadmap: a global pathway to keep the 1.5 °C goal in reach- 2023 update
- Paris-consistent climate change mitigation scenarios: a framework for emissions pathway classification in line with global mitigation objectives
- Vision 2050: update on the global zero-emission vehicle transition in 2023
- Enabling frameworks for offshore wind scale up: innovations in permitting