Are We On Track For Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is the first legally binding universal global agreement on climate change adopted at the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) in December 2015. The European Union is on track to achieve a 48% reduction, partly due to the collapse of heavy industry in Eastern Europe in the 1990s and, more recently, the abandonment of coal. Nevertheless, the EU was deemed insufficient due to the lack of measures in transport and buildings and the increasing dependence of natural gas on the Climate Action Tracker, an independent research unit established in 2009 and partly funded by the Federal Ministry of the Environment. The EU and its member states are among the nearly 190 parties to the Paris Agreement. The EU formally ratified the agreement on 5 October 2016, allowing it to enter into force on 4 November 2016. In order for the agreement to enter into force, at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of global emissions had to file their ratification instruments. “Abandoning the Paris agreement is cruel for future generations,” said Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, about the Trump administration`s decision to formally withdraw the United States from the agreement. The U.S. will lose much stronger jobs and economy that will bring a low-carbon future, Steer said in a statement. The country seems to be on track to achieve this goal. Analysts now expect china`s once insatiable demand for coal to flatten by the mid-2020s, and the government is investing heavily in cleaner sources such as solar, wind and nuclear power.

Today, China also sells more electric cars and buses than the rest of the world. It`s a huge challenge. As part of the Paris Agreement, each nation has voluntarily implemented a plan to limit its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. However, according to new data from Climate Action Tracker, many large emitters are not even on track to achieve their goals. India is on track to do so, as it has moved rapidly towards solar energy. Its objective is to increase total emissions, but it should be seen in view of India`s very low emissions, which are only two tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita. This is compatible with the 2oC target. China is on track to achieve this. Emissions stabilized for five years before recovering in 2018.

China is the world`s largest renewable energy installer, but also the world`s largest consumer of coal. It also funds many coal-fired power plants in other countries. China has announced that it will significantly strengthen its target next year. Although the United States played an important role in the development of the climate agreement, it will be the only one of the 200 parties to withdraw from the pact. To contribute to the goals of the agreement, countries presented comprehensive national climate change plans (national fixed contributions, NDC).

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