A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers

This research paper by the World Resources Institute outlines proposed options for the design of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction offers within the 2015 UNFCCC climate change agreement, focusing on balancing national ownership with multilateral coherence to limit global temperature rise to 2°C.

• The paper argues that previous approaches to emission commitments—either purely national offers without international guidance or internationally negotiated commitments with little national input—are inadequate for the post-2020 regime. It advocates for a new mitigation architecture that combines national ownership with multilateral coherence to drive both ambition and equity.
• To limit global temperature increase to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the document states that significantly higher ambition is necessary, especially from current and future major GHG emitters, and that this ambition must be distributed equitably based on past and future contributions to climate change.
• The author proposes a system of "levels" of guidance for emission reduction offers, beginning with simple common parameters—such as the specific greenhouse gases covered and the global warming potentials used—and progressing toward more complex levels.
• The paper suggests that a systematic and more frequent process for submitting and reviewing emission offers is necessary to achieve the reductions required to stay below the 2°C threshold.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers. https://www.wri.org/pathway-climate-change-agreement-2015-options-setting-and-reviewing-ghg-emission-reduction-offers

Chicago

World Resources Institute. A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers. 2015. https://www.wri.org/pathway-climate-change-agreement-2015-options-setting-and-reviewing-ghg-emission-reduction-offers.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers |date=2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/pathway-climate-change-agreement-2015-options-setting-and-reviewing-ghg-emission-reduction-offers |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2015pathway, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{A Pathway to a Climate Change Agreement in 2015: Options for Setting and Reviewing GHG Emission Reduction Offers}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.wri.org/pathway-climate-change-agreement-2015-options-setting-and-reviewing-ghg-emission-reduction-offers}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }