Where we stand five years after the Paris Agreement
Saleemul Huq
Commentary
December 12, 2020
Five years after the 2015 Paris Agreement was negotiated into existence, climate scientist Saleemul Huq says we are living in a climate-changed world.
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Since 2015, the Paris Agreement has become a symbol of hopeImage: Reuters/C. Platiau
On December 12, 2015, then-French Foreign Minister and President of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) Laurent Fabius gaveled through the historic Paris Agreement to uproarious applause in the conference chamber.
I had the good fortune of being in that chamber on that historic night. I was part of that applause. I was witness to a last-minute moment that had hung in the balance throughout the two weeks of intense negotiations.
Emotions were riding high in conference room filled with promiseImage: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Petit Tesson
Five years on, the United Kingdom — as the incoming president of COP26 to be held in November 2021— has convened a Climate Ambition Summit. To be held on the fifth anniversary of that momentous night, it serves as an opportunity for heads of government from around the world to share their revised plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
And this is an opportunity they must take seriously.
Back in December 2015, the vulnerable developing countries, which I help to represent, advocated hard for a long-term temperature goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Our call was met with initial resistance from many developed nations, which made the ultimate inclusion of the goal in the Paris Agreement a major achievement for us.
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'Loss of momentum'
But not enough has happened in the intervening years to set us on a path to meeting the target. We saw the US pull out of the accord, and although no other country followed suit, it was still a major setback to the global effort to combat climate change.
The overall loss of momentum in the past half-decade has allowed temperatures to rise by more than 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial averages. The adverse impacts of this planetary warming are now becoming visible around the world, with wildfires, floods, droughts and hurricanes impacting lives and livelihoods.
We are already living in a climate-changed world.
One of the major outcomes of the Paris Agreement was to unleash the opportunities for nongovernmental actors including mayors of cities, heads of companies, civil society groups as well as youth and even children to take the requisite actions regardless of whether their own governments were doing so.
Hurricanes and cyclones, but also drought and flooding are becoming increasingly frequent and in many cases, more severeImage: Getty Images/AFP/Y. CHiba
The future of the planet, however, cannot be left to such movements alone.
And when COP26 does finally happen next year, it must also be a forum to address the issue of supporting the victims of loss and damage as a result of global warming. Failure to do so may lead to failure of the COP.
Saleemul Huq is the director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Bangladesh. He also advises the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
'We're running out of time' on climate change
Thousands of protesters hit the streets of Katowice to sound the alarm on climate change. They want world leaders meeting at the nearby climate conference to repeat the historic Paris agreement.
Image: DW/J. Collins
Time is running out
The protesters' symbol was a clock to signal to those meeting at the United Nations climate change conference (COP24) that time is running out if the world is to limit global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Negotiations at the COP have been tough, with disagreements on financing for developing countries and on how states should report their emissions cuts.
Image: DW/J. Collins
Sending up Bolsonaro
Some marchers made giant puppets, including of Brazil's president elect, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, to protest the leader's climate policies. Bolsonaro has threatened to follow US President Donald Trump and withdraw his country from the Paris climate agreement. Bolsonaro has also talked about loosening protections for the Amazon rainforest — the Earth's green lungs.
Image: DW/J. Collins
Air pollution woes
About seven million people worldwide die prematurely due to air pollution every year. Poland's air quality is particularly bad because of the country's dependence on coal for electricity and heating. Some protesters decorated pollution masks to make a statement about Poland's coal policy. During the COP, the country's president said there was no intention to phase out coal.
Image: DW/J. Collins
'Don't nuke the climate'
Some groups, like the International Atomic Energy Agency, are promoting nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. It would provide a stable and greenhouse gas-emission-free energy source, says the IAEA. A number of protesters turned up to advocate against nuclear, because there is no good way to deal with the radioactive waste it produces and because it is potentially unsafe, they say.
Image: DW/J. Collins
A sustainable Christmas
Sustaina Claus arrived at the climate march with his Christmas elves to preach the message of sustainability. The environmental activist says we need to stop overconsumption if we are to stop climate change and protect the planet's resources. Instead of buying mountains of gifts for your loved ones at Christmas, "you should give the gift of you."
Image: DW/J. Collins
Activists held at the border
NGOs said a number of environmental campaigners were refused entry at the Polish border or deported from the country, having been deemed a "threat" to national security. Climate Action Network, an umbrella group of climate groups, called the actions worrying. A spokeswoman for Poland's border guards said she could not say whether the refusals were connected to the COP, according to Reuters.
Image: DW/J. Collins
Cycling for the climate
Climate activist Lander Wantens cycled over 1,000 kilometers from Belgium to Katowice for the protest and to deliver a message to delegates to do more to combat climate change. He hopes that if the negotiators see "four guys from Belgium are crazy enough to bike to the climate summit in Poland in winter, maybe that's a signal that they have to work on an ambitious climate agreement."
