How did the Paris Agreement change international cooperation on climate change?

The Paris Agreement transformed international climate cooperation by shifting from the rigid, top-down structure of the Kyoto Protocol to a more inclusive, universal framework. Unlike its predecessor, which only bound developed nations to emission targets, the Paris Agreement requires all countries—including major emitters like China, India, and the United States—to participate in limiting greenhouse gas emissions.123

Key changes in cooperation include:

• Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): Countries set their own climate goals, which are reviewed and updated every five years to encourage increasing ambition over time.43
• Transparency and Flexibility: The agreement emphasizes a non-adversarial, non-punitive approach to compliance, relying on transparency and regular reporting rather than strict enforcement mechanisms.4
• Financial Support: It formalizes the responsibility of developed nations to provide financial resources, technical expertise, and equipment to assist developing countries in both mitigation and adaptation efforts.42
• Shared Long-term Goals: It established a unified global objective to hold temperature increases to well below 2 °C above preindustrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the rise to 1.5 °C.43