Paris Agreement: The last eight years, 2015-2022, have consecutively been the warmest years on record globally, according to the recent State of the Global Climate 2022 report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released in Geneva.
Key Points On Paris Agreement
- The situation could have been far worse if the La Nina weather event had not occurred in the past three years, which has a cooling effect on the weather system
- Not much has happened since the 2015 Paris Agreement
- Neither nationally determined contributions (NDC) nor the disaster risk reduction and climate risk management plans are in place to combat climate-induced extreme weather phenomena
- Globally updated NDCs to meet the 2 degrees Celsius target, forget the 1.5°C one, are yet not in front of us
- The Paris Agreement has not been able to equitably phase out fossil fuels predominantly responsible for the climate crisis
What Needs To Be Done For Paris Agreement?
- A new global framework in the form of a fossil fuel treaty to complement the 2015 agreement. This can drive green transition through international cooperation
- Most industrialised and emission-belching countries should be made to follow the Paris Agreement’s commitments.
- Accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts is needed as tools, the knowledge, and the solutions are available.
- There is a need to undertake massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis.
Paris Agreement: Climate Records
A series of climate records fell over in 2022, the report showed.
- Global mean temperature rising: The global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15°C. This was the highest on record for the past eight years. The pre-industrialisation era is considered a benchmark as there was no significant anthropogenic emission at the time.
- Record melting of Antarctica ice: Sea ice in Antarctica dropped to an all-time low. This was almost a million sq km below the mean of the last three decades till 2020.
- Greenhouse gases surged: The levels of three major greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — continued to increase in 2022. The data shows that growth rates of all three gases have increased around 20 per cent compared to 2011-15 levels.
- Sea level rise doubled: Global mean sea level continued to rise in 2022. It has doubled to 4.62 millimetres per year during 2013–2022 from 2.27 mm recorded in the first decade of the satellite record (1993–2002). Ocean heat content, which measures this gain in energy, reached a new observed record.
- Record thinning of glaciers: Long-term observational data is available for glaciers, which were found to have thinned over 1.3 metres between October 2021 and October 2022. The loss is much larger than before.
- More than half of the oceans saw marine heatwaves in 2022: Despite continuing La Nina conditions, 58 per cent of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave during 2022.
- Heatwaves: Record-breaking heatwaves affected China and Europe during the summer, with excess deaths associated with the heat in Europe exceeding 15000.
- 1,600 suffered deaths from weather extremes in India: India suffered from significant flooding at various stages during monsoon, particularly in the northeast in June, with over 700 deaths reported from flooding and landslides and a further 900 from lightning.
About Paris Agreement
Features Of Paris Agreement
- It aims to combat climate change and limit global warming to well below 2’C above pre-industrial levels, with an ambition to limit warming to 1.5’C.
- It sets out a framework for countries to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and provide support to developing countries in their efforts to address climate change.
- Under the Paris Agreement, each country is required to submit and update their NDCs every 5 years, outlining their plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.
- NDCs are pledges made by countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change
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