THE PARIS SUMMIT: THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE CARBON ECONOMY

The Paris Agreement represents a milestone in global climate policy by establishing a universal, hybrid framework for climate action. While it lacks binding implementation of national targets to ensure the participation of major emitters like the USA and China, it introduces a mandatory five-year cycle of review and increased ambition to close a 15-gigatonne emissions gap. The agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to 2°C, with an aspiration for 1.5°C, requiring net-zero emissions from 2050 onwards. It also reaffirms a collective goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually for developing countries from 2020, with a planned upward review by 2025.

• The Paris Agreement achieves nearly universal participation, with 186 out of 195 countries representing 95% of global emissions committing to mitigation. This is a significant expansion compared to the Kyoto Protocol, which only required commitments from developed countries representing approximately 14% of global emissions.
• To limit global temperature rise to 2°C (and aspire to 1.5°C), the world must close a current emissions gap of 15 gigatonnes. This requires all countries to peak emissions as soon as possible and reach zero net emissions from 2050 onwards, necessitating future negative emissions through technology or forest management.

APA

Román, M. V., & Galarraga, I. (2016). THE PARIS SUMMIT: THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE CARBON ECONOMY. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201608101156102027330696.pdf

Chicago

Román, María Victoria, and Ibon Galarraga. THE PARIS SUMMIT: THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE CARBON ECONOMY. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2016. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201608101156102027330696.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Román |first1=María Victoria |last2=Galarraga |first2=Ibon |title=THE PARIS SUMMIT: THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE CARBON ECONOMY |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=2016 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201608101156102027330696.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{romn2016paris, author = {Román, María Victoria and Galarraga, Ibon}, title = {{THE PARIS SUMMIT: THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE CARBON ECONOMY}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201608101156102027330696.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }