Climate: more mobilized than ever on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement

Share

The COVID-19 epidemic has not overshadowed climate issues. On the contrary, it has reminded us of the pressing need to seek sustainable solutions together for the future of the planet and to effectively protect populations, including from illnesses passed from animals to humans.

In the face of these global challenges, France is more mobilized than ever and is working to strengthen climate multilateralism. On 12 December 2020, several events were held to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and highlight that we must all be fully committed to combatting global warming.

Several events to boost mobilization for the climate emergency

An event with Jean-Yves Le Drian and Barbara Pompili

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Barbara Pompili, Minister for the Ecological Transition, chaired a virtual conference to take stock of and reflect on what has been achieved since 2015 and the agreement’s prospects, along with several leading figures.

The event took place on Saturday, 12 December 2020, from 10:00 to 11:30 (Paris time) and was livestreamed from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. View the conference held on 12 December here.

The Climate Ambition Summit

Doc: %##88@, %##90@%##190@ Climate Ambition Summit - Joint press release (12 December 2020) - (PDF, 220 kb)

On 12 December 2020, France also co-organized the Climate Ambition Summit with the United Kingdom (President of COP26) and the United Nations Secretariat-General, in partnership with Chile (President of COP25) and Italy (host of the pre-COP26).
All signatory States to the Paris Agreement were invited. Only States capable of making a significant announcement on one or more of the three pillars of the Paris Agreement (mitigation, adaptation and finance) took the floor. This virtual Summit launched the revival of the ambition, which will continue until COP26, to be held in Glasgow on 1 - 12 November 2021.
Non-State actors were also invited to take the floor.

More information and further videos are available on the Summit’s website

Reviving the international momentum created by the Paris Agreement
Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement is the global framework for action against global warming. It is the most rapidly ratified agreement in history, is almost universal (194 signatures and 189 ratifications) and is an essential and shared roadmap to effectively combat climate disruption together.

For it to be fully implemented and produce the desired effects, all States Parties must set out their climate ambitions as quickly as possible and by COP26 in 2021.
The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) set out in 2015 before COP21, even fully implemented, currently lead to global warming of over 3°C, which is far from the objectives of the agreement (+1.5 - 2°C). Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the call to step up ambitions in the fight against global warming is struggling to be heard. The international community has one year between now and COP26 to re-mobilize all actors and rediscover the momentum seen during the adoption of the Paris Agreement, when 183 countries submitted their NDCs, covering 95% of greenhouse gas emissions around the world.

Celebrating the anniversary of the Paris Agreement in the diplomatic network

The French diplomatic network has placed climate at the heart of the collective agenda for this anniversary, in partnership with the local representations of the European Union and all partners working on these issues.

These celebrations were reflected in a variety of events: webinars, press conferences, meetings with local stakeholders, screenings and exhibitions.
The Ministry thus chose to work with the Art of Change 21 association to create an artistic video, Maskbook, which is an original way of mobilizing prominent figures from all over the world around climate issues.

Watch the video below

2021 will be a key year for climate, biodiversity and the environment, with several major international events:
  • for the first time, the COPs on climate, biodiversity and desertification will be held in the same year
  • the fourth edition of the One Planet Summit, addressing biodiversity, will take place in France in January 2021
  • the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)