The purposes of the Paris Agreement are:
(a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2oC above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels.
(b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production; and
(c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
The obligations for all countries outlined in the Paris Agreement Work Programme included long term goals and commitments on:
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Mitigation (lowering greenhouse gas emissions through nationally determined contributions [NDCs] for all countries);
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Cooperative approaches (market and non-market);
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Adaptation communication;
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Finance (from developed countries to developing countries, including information on finance to be provided in advance and accounting of finance provided)
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Technology development and transfer
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Enhanced Transparency Framework (to provide accountability on progress)
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Global Stocktake (to measure progress every five years)
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Implementation and compliance; and
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Possible additional matters.
The Paris Agreement was successfully adopted on 12 December 2015 but finalizing the technical details necessary to make it “operational” was postponed until COP 24. COP 24, therefore, had one goal: deliver the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) – the so-called “Paris Rulebook.”