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What is the Paris Agreement and how does it address climate change ?
The Paris Agreement is a global climate change agreement adopted by 196 parties at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris, France, on December 12, 2015. It aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement also seeks to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.
To achieve its goals, the Paris Agreement addresses climate change through mitigation, adaptation, finance, and transparency and accountability measures. Mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, such as increasing renewable energy use, improving energy efficiency, preserving forests, and implementing carbon pricing policies. Adaptation involves adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects, such as infrastructure development, water management, health systems, and agriculture practices. Finance acknowledges the need for financial support from developed countries to help developing countries implement their climate actions through mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and international cooperation. Transparency and accountability are ensured through regular reporting on national determined contributions (NDCs), a global stocktake process every five years, and an expert review process to assess the quality and accuracy of countries' reports on their greenhouse gas emissions and implementation of their NDCs.