The Paris Agreement is an international climate treaty adopted on December 12, 2015, that entered into force on November 4, 2016. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change describes its temperature goal as holding warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. UNFCCC agreement overview
Countries operate through nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, on a five-year cycle. These plans set out national climate commitments and are part of the agreement’s process for strengthening action over time. They should not be described as identical obligations imposed on every country by a newly signed agreement.
The agreement also includes an enhanced transparency framework under which countries report on action and support. Reporting and review are important distinctions: a national pledge is not, by itself, proof that the pledged emissions reduction has already occurred.
The UNFCCC’s NDC guidance explains how national contributions fit into the treaty. Readers evaluating claims about new climate deals should identify the actual instrument, its parties and its legal status. A temperature goal, a national plan and an implemented policy are different things. NDC guidance
Archive note: the earlier Geneva accord, signing, terms and attributed remarks were not substantiated.