Remarks of Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder

Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder describes the iterative process of drafting the Paris Agreement, emphasizing the shift toward a 'Party-driven' approach and the breakdown of the 'firewall' between developed and developing nations. He highlights the importance of the October 5 non-paper as a template for the final deal and details the agreement's core goals, including temperature limits and a robust transparency system.

• The negotiating process for the Paris Agreement began in 2012 with the establishment of the Ad Hoc Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), which operated under a system of co-chairs representing both developed and developing countries.
• A non-paper produced on October 5, 2015, served as the critical template for the final Paris Agreement, reducing the draft from over 80 pages to 20 and establishing the structure of 26 articles and 11 pages of decision text.
• The Paris negotiations differed from previous efforts by breaking down the 'firewall' between developed and developing countries, a process that started with the Copenhagen Accord's recording of mitigation actions from both groups.
• The ADP process was explicitly 'Party-driven,' meaning initiatives were expected to come from the Parties rather than the co-chairs, contrasting with traditional negotiations where chairs have more latitude to propose text.
• The Paris Agreement sets a global temperature goal to keep the average increase 'well below 2 degrees C' above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees C.
• The agreement establishes a comprehensive framework that includes mitigation, adaptation, a transparency system with periodic stocktakings, and support for developing countries through financial resources and technology transfer.
• The process achieved an unprecedented level of participation, with nearly 190 Parties submitting Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) by the time the agreement was adopted.
• The accompanying decision (Decision 1/CP.21) explicitly recognizes and encourages the role of non-government actors, including the private sector, cities, and civil society, in responding to climate change.

APA

Reifsnyder, D. A. (2016). Remarks of Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/Dan_Reifsnyder_021016.pdf

Chicago

Reifsnyder, Daniel A. Remarks of Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2016. https://www.eesi.org/files/Dan_Reifsnyder_021016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reifsnyder |first1=Daniel A. |title=Remarks of Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=10 February 2016 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Dan_Reifsnyder_021016.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reifsnyder2016remarks, author = {Reifsnyder, Daniel A.}, title = {{Remarks of Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2016}, month = feb, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Dan_Reifsnyder_021016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }