What Does The Paris Agreement Do?

Written By Teacher: Elizabeth Ward

My name is Elizabeth Ward. I am a former Early Childhood, Elementary, and English as a Foreign Language educator. I have taught third grade Science and Social Studies as well as Kindergarten in both urban and rural Oklahoma public schools. I taught online EFL to students of all ages in China for four years. I also have experience in curriculum development and content design for teachers in the physical and digital classroom. As a former teacher I have a passion for supporting teachers and making their jobs easier. I currently live in the greater Houston area with my husband and four dogs. 

The Paris Agreement offers a powerful example of how nations work together to address global challenges like climate change. Teaching about this agreement helps students grasp the importance of international cooperation, accountability, and the shared responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By examining the mechanisms that hold countries accountable, students can develop a clearer understanding of how policies translate into action and how global commitments impact local communities. Invite students to learn more about the Paris Agreement with this resource from CFR Education. Explore policy action with your students using these Policy Toolkits.

Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.

The Paris Agreement is a diplomatic agreement that brings the world together in a common effort to combat climate change. The most important piece of this agreement is that all members must make pledges of action every five years to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. Those pledges are called their “Nationally Determined Contributions” (NDCs). For example, the European Union's most recent NDC pledges to cut emissions to at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.

But while countries are required to submit these pledges, the content is up to them: members get to decide for themselves what to promise in their NDCs. So what would make a country make a strong pledge and then stick to it?

The short answer is that there’s not much formal accountability. Instead, says Michael Mehling, Deputy Director of the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, the focus is on accurate reporting. “Every country has to send periodic reports on what they’re doing,” says Mehling, “in the form of national emissions inventories and progress towards achieving their NDCs.” The main formal consequence for a member failing to meet its targets is a meeting with a global committee of neutral researchers. The committee will work with struggling members to create new plans.