merrion street

This evening, 12 December 2015, at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, all 196 Parties agreed an new ambitious legally-binding, global agreement on climate change – the agreement provides a framework for a global response on climate change to hold the increase in global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to keep the more stringent target of below 1.5 degrees in sight.

“This historic deal ensures a truly multilateral response to one of the largest challenges facing humanity”, said Minister Kelly who attended the negotiations during the High-Level Session and also spoke on behalf of the EU team in specific Ministerial level negotiations. “This Paris Agreement puts in place the necessary framework for all countries to take ambitious action, as well as providing for a transparency system that ensures we can all have confidence in each other’s progress. It also puts in place the supports necessary – funding as well as technical assistance - for the most vulnerable countries.

Recent events in Ireland show very clearly the central importance of the growing need to build resilience to a changing climate and weather patterns – this agreement recognises that climate adaptation is a global challenge, faced by all. The Agreement aims to increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience. “The recently passed Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill puts in place the necessary National Frameworks to ensure we can plan for, and take the necessary action, to protect our communities in the long term – all of our domestic action on both adaptation and mitigation will now take place in the context of a global effort towards a shared goal” added the Minister.

Key EU objectives have been delivered:
· the agreement contains and ambitious long-term goal on mitigation, adaptation, and on making finance flows consistent with low greenhouse gas and climate resilient development.
· it provides for a global stocktake and a five-year review mechanism,
· it requires all Parties to take action and bring forward successive and ambitious mitigation commitments which show progression over time, and
· it includes the basis of a common transparency framework to ensure all Parties provide accurate and regular information on their emissions and their progress towards their nationally determined contributions.

“The EU worked as an incredibly effective team, supporting the French COP Presidency, who conducted the negotiations in an open and transparent manner, ensuring all Parties were brought along with the process” said the Minister. “Today, I’m proud to call myself a European, acknowledging the leadership and ambitious role that we played in building bridges between Parties and in reassuring all of our continued commitment and support to realise the objectives of this Agreement.”

This Paris Agreement ensures that Parties will continue their support for developing countries, focusing particularly on Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States to ensure they can adapt, build resilience and contribute to the global effort to combat climate change. It signals to all actors – the private sector, citizens, and civil society that all Governments are serious about this challenge and about taking the steps necessary to meet it together.

The full text of the legal agreement and the associated decisions of COP21 can be found on the UNFCCC website: www.unfccc.int

ENDS