Daily Answer Writing Challenge-1st August

Q1. Do you think the Paris agreement can prove to be a panacea for all environmental  issues? Analyse and present your views with suitable arguments. (250 words 15 Marks) 

Answer: 

The Paris agreement (also known as the Conference of Parties 21or COP 21) is a landmark  environmental accord that was adopted in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.  It is the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol which was an earlier agreement to deal with climate  change and comes to end in 2020. 

Aims of the Paris accord: To reduce global GHG emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature  increase in this century to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing means to  limit the increase to 1.5°C by 2100. It includes: 

• Addressing the financial losses vulnerable countries face from climate impacts such as extreme  weather. 
• Raising money to help developing countries adapt to climate change and transition to clean  energy. 
• This part of the deal has been made non-legally binding on developed countries. 

Before the conference started, more than 180 countries had submitted pledges to cut their carbon  emissions (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs). 

• The INDCs were recognised under the agreement, but are not legally binding.
• India also reaffirmed its INDCs commitments to meeting the goals under the Agreement in  order to combat climate change. 

Making emission reduction voluntary 

• The Paris Agreement moved away from the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
• All countries were placed on an equal footing by making the reduction of greenhouse gas  emissions voluntary. 
• It requires all parties to put forward their best efforts through nationally determined contributions  (NDCs) 

Shortcomings in Paris Agreement 

• The NDCs so far submitted will not result in the desired objective of limiting the increase of  global warming to below 2°C. 
• The Paris Agreement requires that all countries- rich, poor, developed, and developing- slash  greenhouse gas emissions. 
• But no language is included in the commitments the countries should make.
• Nations can voluntarily set their emissions targets and incur no penalties for falling short of  their targets. 
• Further temperature rise, even of 1.5°C, may result in catastrophic and irreversible changes.
• Even a 1°C hotter planet is not a steady state, says a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 

According to the IPCC report, “the pathways to avoiding an even hotter world would require a swift  and complete transformation not only of the global economy but also of society.” This will only  be possible if the world rejects nationalism and parochialism and instead responds to the crisis  collaboratively. The Paris Agreement falls short of this requirement.