The Paris Agreement at 10: A Celebration and a Call to Action

Ten years ago, we witnessed something akin to a miracle.

Hundreds of leaders came together for the UN’s annual climate summit (COP21) in Paris. There, they forged what many thought impossible: a global agreement to curb climate change — one where virtually every country committed to deliver its fair share of action.

The Paris Agreement, as it came to be known, was the culmination of years of hard work and courageous leadership from ministers, heads of state, philanthropists, NGOs and communities. It’s served as the backbone of cooperative climate action ever since. The pact unites the world in a shared goal of holding global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C, a limit scientists say is necessary for averting the worst impacts of climate change.

A decade later, the science shows that the Paris Agreement’s goals are off track. Greenhouse gas emissions haven’t dropped anywhere near the amount needed to hit the 1.5 degree C target.

But that doesn’t mean the agreement isn’t working.

Indeed, the Paris Agreement is still very much worth celebrating. It is doing what it intended to do, albeit not fast enough. And importantly, it’s setting the stage for a new decade of climate action.