ABSTRACT
The Paris Agreement – a landmark accord adopted in 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – rejuvenated global climate governance by uniting major greenhouse gas emitters on a common path to address climate change. Aiming to limit global warming to well below 2°C, the treaty introduces a complex, technical and evolving framework for transforming economies into low-carbon societies, thus intersecting with various Sustainable Development Goals. Despite notable progress, including the formal recognition of non-state actors in treaty implementation, significant challenges remain. These include unequal responsibilities, justice concerns, contested mitigation technologies and the need for increased financing, particularly for addressing loss and damage. With current intergovernmental actions under the Paris Agreement proving insufficient, there is a substantial risk of exceeding 2°C of warming, posing serious threats to sustainable development and to achieving equitable, long-term resilience to anthropogenic climate change.
