ABSTRACT
“This COP is not just a COP of decisions; it is a COP of solutions.” When he pronounced these words, Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister and acting president of COP21, was referring to an important dimension of the Paris climate conference and resulting agreement. Through its ambitious long-term goal and system of five-year stocktakes to evaluate progress and set future targets, the Paris Agreement marks for its architects the start of a systemic shift towards a decarbonised economy; a shift that has to take place over the coming decades if we are to limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5–2°C above pre-Industrial Revolution levels by the end of the century. The Paris ‘moment’ was intended to provide the framework and generate the political impetus for ambitious climate action. Paris also marks a clear shift away from a top-down, multilateral and legally binding approach to climate governance and a move towards a more bottom-up approach through voluntary actions at the national level.
