A Decade of the Paris Agreement: Progress Made, Gaps Exposed

Why in News ?

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), completed ten years in November 2025, prompting a global assessment of its effectiveness, ambition, and equity in addressing climate change.

Paris Agreement: Concept and Working

About the Agreement

• The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international climate treaty, adopted at COP21 (Paris, 2015).
• It replaced the Kyoto Protocol, extending climate responsibility to all countries, not just developed ones.

Core Objective

• Limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C, while pursuing efforts to cap warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Working Mechanism

• Operates on a five-year ambition cycle:
  • Countries submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years.
  • NDCs cover mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation.
• The Global Stocktake (first completed at COP28, 2023) assesses collective progress and calls for course correction.
• The Paris Rulebook, finalised at COP24 and COP26, provides transparency and reporting guidelines.

Key Achievements After a Decade

Universal Participation

• Nearly 194 countries plus the European Union are parties, making it the most inclusive climate agreement to date.

Mainstreaming Climate Action

• Climate goals integrated into:
  • National policies and budgets
  • Development plans (e.g., EU Green Deal, India’s Mission LiFE)

Climate Finance Commitments

• Developed countries committed to mobilising USD 100 billion annually till 2025.
• At COP29 (2024), a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) of USD 300 billion per year by 2035 was agreed.

Equity and CBDR

• Reinforced the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), recognising historical emissions and varying national capacities.

Growth of Climate Markets

• Expansion of green bonds, carbon markets, and clean energy investments, though financing remains inadequate.

India and the Paris Agreement

India’s Commitments

• India submitted its INDC in 2015, later adopted as its first NDC.
• Updated NDC includes:
  • 45% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP (from 2005 levels) by 2030
  • 50% non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030
  • Creation of 2.5–3 billion tonnes CO₂-equivalent carbon sink
  • Promotion of sustainable lifestyles through Mission LiFE

Achievements

• Achieved 50% non-fossil electricity capacity in 2025, ahead of target.
• Announced Net Zero by 2070 at COP26.
• Global leadership via:
  • International Solar Alliance (ISA)
  • Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
  • Green hydrogen and solar manufacturing

Concerns and Criticisms of the Paris Agreement

Voluntary Nature of NDCs

• Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, emissions targets are non-binding, weakening accountability.

Equity Deficit

• Uniform expectations dilute CBDR.
• LDCs and SIDS face existential threats without adequate support.

Climate Finance Gap

• India and Global South countries rejected the USD 300 billion NCQG as insufficient.
• Developing countries demand USD 1.3 trillion annually, with a significant grant component.

Mitigation-Centric Bias

• Overemphasis on emissions reduction sidelines adaptation and resilience, critical for vulnerable nations.

Development Constraints

• Measures like carbon border taxes (CBAM) restrict policy space for developing economies.

Insufficient Global Ambition

• Current NDCs place the world on a 2.5–2.9°C warming trajectory, far from the 1.5°C goal.

Measures Needed to Strengthen Climate Action

• From Voluntary to Enforceable Action: Introduce legally backed national climate policies with sector-wise carbon budgets.
• Balance Mitigation and Adaptation: Increase investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, agriculture, and disaster preparedness.
• Bridge the Climate Finance Gap: Scale up predictable finance, reform multilateral banks, and expand blended finance mechanisms.
• Reinforce Equity and Climate Justice: Operationalise CBDR-RC and ensure fairness in trade-related climate measures.
• Accelerate Technology Access: Promote technology transfer, patent pooling, and South–South cooperation.

China’s Model of Climate Action

• Follows a development-first approach, allowing emissions growth during industrialisation.
• Simultaneously built large-scale renewable and clean technology capacity.
• Committed to:
  • Emissions peak before 2030
  • Net Zero by 2060
• Demonstrates how early clean-energy investment enables faster decarbonisation later.