Epoch Making Agreement

The world managed to keep the momentum for tackling climate change. Conference of Parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded Paris Agreement on Saturday, which required all parties to make every effort to eliminate emission of greenhouse gasses in the latter half of this century. While both developed and developing countries shared necessity for setting binding goals, the agreement heavily relied on conscience of each country. Implementation is the biggest concern for the future of fight against threat of global warming.

It is true that the outcome of Paris conference cannot be underestimated. In the Article 2 of Paris Agreement, the parties were mandated to hold global average temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and further pursue 1.5°C, to increase ability to adapt to the adverse impact of climate change and foster climate resilience, and to make financial flows consistent to implement the goals.

However, in the reflection of insufficiency of Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which set obligatory goal for reducing greenhouse gasses on each parties, Paris Agreement did not took a style of posing numerical goal on each country. While the agreement required designated effort to each party, it avoided demanding concrete achievement with actual time limit. Instead, it included a clause to require all parties review their efforts every five years.

Central concept of the agreement was equal but differentiated responsibilities. To tame the argument of developing nations, which insisted on that current global warming was brought by industrialization of developed countries, developed countries accepted broad responsibilities. The agreement mandated developed nations financial support for developing countries to take measures against climate change, not having actual amount of money.

How to reach the goal basically depends on each country. Although the conference encouraged the world independent on fossil fuels, there was no description on independent from atomic fuels. While it acknowledged the need to promote universal access to sustainable energy, the definition of sustainable energy is not clear. How the conference judges the agreement of Japan to export nuclear power plant to India?

Paris Agreement was epoch making in terms of setting alternative goals to Kyoto Protocol. But, it cannot be a viable scenario to achieve the environment completely preferable to human being. More determined study on true aspect of global environment and correct way to choose is needed.