The agreement reached in Paris this weekend has been praised as a feat of international diplomacy
by Josh Lowe / December 14, 2015 / Leave a comment
Several Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) gather to form a human chain reading “+3°C SOS” on the Champs de Mars near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. © Clement Martin/ABACAPRESS.COM
“The world’s greatest diplomatic success,” was how a Guardian headline described the historic international climate deal reached in Paris this weekend. But what does this feat of diplomacy actually mean? Here are seven things you need to know (and you can read the full text for yourself here)
The difference a degree makes
You’ll read three numbers everywhere in discussion of the deal: 2.7 degrees, two degrees and 1.5 degrees. All are important. The first is (roughly) the level of global warming above pre-industrial levels which we will hit if every country sticks to its individually determined plan for reducing carbon emissions. The second is the objective set by the Paris agreement for a maximum level of warming (strictly, the deal says we need to limit warming to “well below” this level). The third is a sort of bonus aim contained in the agreement—an ideal target to aim for rather than one we have to hit. Two degrees is the level generally agreed by experts as the maximum amount of warming which won’t be totally disastrous. But 1.5 would be a much better bet and the differences between 1.5 and two are stark—for example, a rise of two degrees could see up to a 15 per cent bigger reduction in water availability in some of the earth’s driest regions compared to a rise of 1.5 degrees. So each country has plenty more to do before we’re even hitting the least ambitious target in the deal.
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