Friends of the Earth International Assessment of the Paris Agreement

Friends of the Earth International assesses the Paris Agreement as a failure in delivering climate justice, arguing that it lacks binding targets, sufficient financial commitments for developing nations, and protections for vulnerable communities. The organization concludes that the agreement fails the 'People’s Test on Climate' across all criteria, including emission reductions, support for transformation, justice for impacted people, and the focus on transformational action.

• The Paris Agreement is viewed as an insufficient tool for limiting global warming because it lacks binding targets for developed countries and relies on voluntary national pledges (INDCs). Current pledges are estimated to lead to warming of at least 2.7 degrees, and potentially over 3 degrees, which is incompatible with climate science. The agreement aims to keep temperature rise below 2 degrees, but only 'pursues efforts' to limit it to 1.5 degrees.
• Financial obligations for developed countries are described as weak and non-binding. The goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually from 2020 was moved to a 'COP decision' rather than the main agreement, and developed countries only 'intend to continue' this support through 2025. The text lacks guarantees on the level of finance and fails to include terms like 'new', 'additional', 'adequate' and 'predictable', which may allow development funds to be diverted to climate policies.
• The agreement is criticized for failing to provide justice for impacted people, specifically by excluding compensation and liability regarding 'Loss and Damage'. There is no concrete structure or finance for climate refugees, and the concept of a 'Just transition' for workers is relegated to the preamble, meaning it is not a binding commitment.
• The document highlights a total absence of mentions of renewable energy, energy efficiency, or the phasing out of fossil fuels within the Paris Agreement. It warns that the goal of 'climate neutrality' by 2100 may encourage the use of risky, unproven technologies like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and geo-engineering, while allowing market-based solutions like REDD+ to facilitate damaging plantation projects in developing countries.

APA

admin (2015). Friends of the Earth International Assessment of the Paris Agreement. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-international-assessment-of-the-paris-agreement/

Chicago

admin. Friends of the Earth International Assessment of the Paris Agreement. Friends of the Earth International, 2015. https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-international-assessment-of-the-paris-agreement/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=admin |title=Friends of the Earth International Assessment of the Paris Agreement |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=15 December 2015 |url=https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-international-assessment-of-the-paris-agreement/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{admin2015friends, author = {admin}, title = {{Friends of the Earth International Assessment of the Paris Agreement}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-international-assessment-of-the-paris-agreement/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }