Enacted in November 2016, the treaty aims to hold warming well below 2C while pursuing a stricter 1.5C target to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. United Nations assessments indicate that without urgent global cuts, the lower limit will likely be breached within the next few years. Alongside mitigation, the framework relies on wealthy states providing vital funding to help developing economies transition to clean power and adapt to worsening disasters. At the COP29 summit in 2024, richer nations agreed to scale annual financial support to $300bn by 2035, a sum developing countries condemned as inadequate.
Key points
Global warming risks crossing dangerous tipping points like the collapse of the Greenland…: Global warming risks crossing dangerous tipping points like the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet if temperatures surpass critical limits.
An initial climate finance goal of $100bn annually missed its 2020 target but was success…: An initial climate finance goal of $100bn annually missed its 2020 target but was successfully achieved in the three years following 2022.
The United States now stands outside the pact alongside non-member nations Iran, Libya, a…: The United States now stands outside the pact alongside non-member nations Iran, Libya, and Yemen.
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In Paris in 2015, almost 200 countries signed a landmark agreement designed to limit global warming to 1.5C and avoid its worst impacts.
But despite some progress in areas like renewable energy, the world has continued to warm at a rapid pace.
A recent UN report said the target was likely to be breached in the next few years and that "urgent and stringent" action would be needed to return the world to 1.5C.
What is the Paris climate agreement?
The Paris Agreement is at the heart of the international commitment to tackle rising global temperatures.
It came into force on 4 November 2016 and saw almost all the nations of the world agree to cut the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming.
However, the United States - the world's second biggest greenhouse gas emitter - withdrew from the deal in January 2026 under President Donald Trump.
The US also withdrew during Trump's first presidency, but it rejoined in 2021 under his successor President Joe Biden.
The only other UN member states outside the Paris agreement are…
Human-driven warming has increased global temperatures by approximately 1.4C, significantly shifting hydrological cycles and driving extreme weather patterns worldwide. These elevated temperatures increase atmospheric moisture retention, leading to unprecedented precipitation events alongside intensified soil evaporation. As a result, regions across Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia are facing compounding crises ranging from critical water shortages to severe flooding.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have surged by more than 50% since the Industrial Revolution due to fossil fuel combustion. This trapped heat pushed 2024 to become the hottest year on record, exceeding 1.5C of warming above pre-industrial benchmarks. Global communities now face escalating humanitarian crises and economic shocks as climate extremes intensify worldwide.
Cross-party consensus on British environmental commitments has deteriorated as right-leaning parties reject clean energy transitions over economic burdens. Meanwhile, the incumbent Labour administration faces intensifying scrutiny from watchdogs and green campaigners over conflicting infrastructure and fiscal priorities. This widening divide threatens the nation's long-term emissions trajectory despite statutory climate goals.