Paris Climate Deal and Climate Ambition summit

Paris Climate Deal and Climate Ambition summit

Why in news?

• The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement was held recently.

About Paris Climate Deal:

• The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
• Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
• To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.
• 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 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).

About Climate ambition summit:

• The Climate Ambition Summit 2020 will mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, and will provide a platform for government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the multilateral process.
• The summit is positioned as a “sprint to Glasgow,” where the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place from 1–12 November 2021.
• The Summit aims to rally momentum and call for much greater climate action and ambition.
• National governments will be invited to present more ambitious and high-quality climate plans, as well as COVID recovery plans, new finance commitments and measures to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
• Objective of the summit is to nudge countries to present more:
  • New, more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs)
  • Long-term net-zero emissions strategies
  • Climate finance commitments to support the most vulnerable
  • Ambitious adaptation plans and policies

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements:
1.The 2019 UN climate change conference was held in Madrid, Spain.
2.UN Climate change conference refers to the annual meeting of parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Which among the above statements is/are correct?
(a)1 only 
(b)2 only 
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question