Starting in 2016 when it first came into force, the Paris Climate Agreement has bound 194 parties (193 countries plus the European Union) to a mutual agreement to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. With an original goal of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, this agreement sets the minimum threshold for mitigating climate change. Simply put, this means that any higher temperature increases are likely to worsen environmental disasters, from more frequent and severe droughts to intense heat waves. However, with the first official report on this treaty having come out on September 8th, 2023, results have been less than optimistic.
As described in the report, temperatures are still projected to increase by 2.6 – 2.7 °C by 2100, a whole degree over current goals. Even worse is that this projection is only possible if every country in the agreement follows through on their pledges. Despite the many efforts that have been, and are currently being made, to combat climate change, it still isn’t nearly enough. In order to stay at a safe level, global emissions being required to drop by roughly 60 percent by 2035.
The problems caused by climate change are already everywhere. This year alone, scorching heat waves have killed hundreds of people across the US and Canada, wildfires have destroyed thousands of acres of land in Greece and Morocco, and floods have devastated whole countries from Libya to Germany. The consequences are endless. And nearly each of these environmental disasters is caused or abetted by an only 1.1 °C increase since preindustrial times.
The issue with climate change is clear. But solutions, especially financial ones, have yet to reach a consensus. As mentioned in the report,
“Significant finance flows continue being directed, including through subsidies, towards investments in high-emissions activities and infrastructure that lack resilience. Shifting these flows is critical to making rapid and durable progress towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals” (UN Report).
As it stands today, current measures for climate change aren’t enough. But some progress has been made compared to the original 4°C of projected increase before the Paris Agreement. Whether it be by subsidizing renewable energy or taxing greenhouse emissions more heavily, countries across the globe need to take more action to solve climate change. And the individuals in them need to be more aware of the choices they make to better support a sustainable future.
