Chapter 10: Climate Change and the Paris Agreement PDF

CHAPTER 10 CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PARIS AGREEMENT Content: A. The Paris Agreement B. Mechanisms of the Paris Agreement C. The Philippines as Part of the Paris Agreement A. THE PARIS AGREEMENT What is the Paris Agreement? The Paris Agreement is a legally binding inte...

CHAPTER 10 CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PARIS AGREEMENT Content: A. The Paris Agreement B. Mechanisms of the Paris Agreement C. The Philippines as Part of the Paris Agreement A. THE PARIS AGREEMENT What is the Paris Agreement? The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) in Paris, France on December 12, 2015. The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. Additionally, the agreement aims to increase the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and at making finance flows consistent with a low Greenhouse Gas emissions and climate-resilient pathway. It encourages Parties to conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs of GHGs including forests. Climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information is also to be enhanced under the Agreement.  The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. The Paris Agreement opened for signature April 22, 2016 at UN Headquarters in New York, and entered into force on November 4, 2016. Since then, more countries have ratified and continue to ratify the Agreement. As of 2020, 190 out of 197 ratified the Agreement. Iran (1.66%), Turkey (1.04%) and Iraq (0.48%) are currently the top emitters among the nations that have not yet ratified. The others represent a far smaller share of global emissions: Eritrea (0.01%), Libya (0.14%), South Sudan (0.24% with Sudan) and Yemen (0.07%). How does the Paris Agreement Work? Implementation of the Paris Agreement requires economic and social transformation, based on the best available science. The Paris Agreement works on a 5- year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action carried out by countries. By 2020, countries submit their plans for climate action known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). NDCs. In their NDCs, countries communicate actions they will take to reduce their Greenhouse Gas emissions in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. Countries also communicate in the NDCs actions they will take to build resilience to adapt to the impacts of rising temperatures. B. MECHANISMS OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT How are countries supporting one another? The Paris Agreement provides a framework for financial, technical and capacity building support to those countries who need it. 1. Finance. The Paris Agreement reaffirms that developed countries should take the lead in providing financial assistance to countries that are less endowed and more vulnerable, while encouraging voluntary contributions by other Parties. Climate finance is needed for mitigation, because large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions. Climate finance is equally important for adaptation, as significant financial resources are needed to adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of a changing climate. 2. Technology. The Paris Agreement speaks of the vision of fully realizing technology development and transfer for both improving resilience to climate change and reducing GHG emissions. It establishes a technology framework to provide overarching guidance to the well-functioning Technology Mechanism. The mechanism is accelerating technology development and transfer through its policy and implementation arms. 3. Capacity-Building. Not all developing countries have sufficient capacities to deal with many of the challenges brought by climate change. As a result, the Paris Agreement places great emphasis on climate-related capacity-building for developing countries and requests all developed countries to enhance support for this endeavor. How are we tracking progress? With the Paris Agreement, countries established an enhanced transparency framework (ETF). Under ETF, starting in 2024, countries will report transparently on actions taken and progress in climate change mitigation, adaptation measures and support provided or received. It also provides for international procedures for the review of the submitted reports. The information gathered through the ETF will feed into the Global stocktake which will assess the collective progress towards the long-term climate goals. This will lead to recommendations for countries to set more ambitious plans in the next round. What have we achieved so far? The years since the Agreement was set into force, there have been low-carbon solutions and new markets. More and more countries, regions, cities and companies are establishing carbon neutrality targets. Zero-carbon solutions are becoming competitive across economic sectors representing 25% of emissions. This trend is most noticeable in the power and transport sectors and has created many new business opportunities for early movers. By 2030, zero-carbon solutions could be competitive in sectors representing over 70% of global emissions. C. THE PHILIPPINES AS PART OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT The Philippines is further advancing the implementation of its ambitious Paris Agreement target, as the first country in the Southeast Asian region to set a moratorium on new coal, and implementing several measures to support renewables. There is also an ongoing review of ‘Philippine Energy Plan’ that provides a chance for the government to accelerate decarbonisation. The CARE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) is notable. It reduces the income taxes of renewable energy-related companies as an attempt to increase ‘green’ investments and jobs. Other developments indicate that renewables may gain space in the electricity mix in the near future. In November 2020, the Department of Energy announced it will not endorse new coal plants and push “for the transition from fossil fuel-based technology utilization to cleaner energy sources to ensure more sustainable growth for the country.” Additionally, the draft ‘Philippine Energy Plan’ (PEP) forecasts a much higher uptake of solar energy. The Philippine Master Plan for Climate Change Resilient Forestry aims to improve forest management of almost 7 million hectares of existing forests until 2026 (Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), 2016). The Philippines Development Plan 2017-2022 (NEDA, 2017b) includes clearer strategies to rehabilitate and restore degraded natural resources and protect the fragile ecosystems while improving the welfare of resource-dependent communities * * * END * * *