Many scientists agree that we will have reached a turning point when global warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This is where the effects of global warming will be irreversible and there will be no turning back. If this warming can be kept below 2 degrees Celsius, chances are the world will be able to adapt to the new climate, even if it will be different from what it is today. That is why one of the key points of the agreement is that every effort must be made to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. More needs to be done to end fossil fuels used in energy production and realistic efforts must be made to recognise that we have reached a legally binding agreement in the Paris Agreement. Which, frankly, we simply do not take seriously enough. In short, the goals of the agreement are to stop and maintain global warming in the event of a maximum increase of 2 degrees, to slightly reduce the average of global temperatures by half a degree, preferably to 1.5 degrees, and to support countries to make every effort (including financial support) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The recent agreement – the Paris Agreement – was an attempt to remedy the failure of past attempts. Over the past 30 years, the UN, an international forum of national heads of state and government to discuss global issues, has played an important role in the fight against climate change. Since 1992, several agreements have been reached to combat climate change and reduce global warming greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland`s burden-sharing commitments will be concluded in 2020 and will then be followed by the EU Burden Sharing Regulation (ESR). This regulation sets mandatory annual emission targets for Member States for the period 2021-2030.

Under the SSE, the targets for Member States are based on GDP per capita and the cost-effectiveness of national emission reductions in each Member State. The final agreement provides for Ireland to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% (compared to 2005) by 2030. This will be Ireland`s contribution to the EU`s macroeconomic target of reducing its emissions by 40% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. The agreement recognizes the role of non-partisan stakeholders in the fight against climate change, including cities, other sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector and others. In 1992, an environmental treaty (an international agreement) called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was negotiated. The aim of the treaty was to reach an agreement between countries on limiting greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid significant climate damage due to human activity. The Paris Agreement is the first legally binding universal global agreement on climate change adopted at the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) in December 2015. The agreement was reached in the wake of international unrest and concerns about the future of the planet threatened by climate change.