Introduction
In the recent past, climate change has become a growing concern worldwide. Nations have resorted to concerted efforts in a bid to possibly avert the adverse consequences of climate change at present and in the future. Conferences and forums have been held across the world to assess the situation and make pivotal deliberations on the topic. One such undertaking was the Paris Agreement of 2015, which majorly focused on the general mitigation of greenhouse gases. Though reaching the deal happened outside Paris,[1] the agreement is set for review after every five years. In November 2015, more than 150 national leaders from all over the world attended the climate conference where they pledged their unbridled and voluntary support of UNFCC’s ambitious climate change agreement.[2] The agreements were finally confirmed and adopted barely a month later on December 12th, the same year. In the wake of adoption and subsequent confirmations, countries are just beginning to realize the obstacles associated with the implementation of the Paris Agreement. These challenges span across sectors with the politics and economics of climate change policy rearing its head on a promising environmental sustainability agreement. Barely five years later, some countries have even pulled out of the agreement, thus threatening the very core of its framework. The ongoing research presents and examines the challenges threatening the successful implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement in the context of potential international solutions for climate change and associated consequences.
The Scope of 2015 Paris Agreement: Goals and Feasibility
Understanding the implementation challenges requires a comprehensive presentation of specific goals and an examination of their feasibility. The primary aim of the agreement was to keep the average global temperature at less than 2 degrees Celsius, with a commitment to limit it at 1.5 degrees Celsius.[3] In this goal, the pact notes that in doing so, there is a high possibility of significantly reducing the risk and imminent negative impacts of climate change. The second primary goal concerned adaptation and aimed at equipping nations with the required ability to adapt to any fatal implications of climate change while fostering the lowest possible emission of greenhouse gases. One of the objectives of this goal was to allay any threats to food production and security across the globe. The third goal sought to introduce consistency in the flow of finances towards sustainable development and reduction in emission of greenhouse gases.[4]
Yet, it is through an examination of the feasibility of these goals that one truly understands the scale of the problem and how much is required of governments in implementing the specifics of the agreement. Essentially, most of the energy driving the global economy comes from fossil fuels. Considering the climate change observation uncertainties, among other factors, the best probability of keeping the global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius and honoring the Paris Agreement would be 50%.[5] The probability simply means that then undertaking may or may not be possible depending on how well the players manipulate influencers to their advantage. However, it is important to note that the agreement takes a collaborative orientation, and any chance of success depends mostly on all the players pulling together.