Looking Back at Ten Years of the Paris Agreement: Remarkable Achievements, Bumpy Journey, and Prominent Dilemmas

Time:  2025-05-30    |    Source:  Jianjing Investment Consulting Co., Ltd.

Introduction: A Pact Concerning Human Destiny

On December 12, 2015, thunderous applause erupted at the Bourget Exhibition Center in northern Paris – representatives from 196 countries and regions unanimously adopted the Paris Agreement. This historic document committed to limiting global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Over the past decade, as the Earth has experienced record-high temperatures, extreme wildfires, and floods, how has humanity responded? Looking back, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres once said: "We stand on the edge of a cliff, but still hold the steering wheel to change direction." 

 

 

01 Remarkable Achievements: The Awakening Era of Low-Carbon Transition

Despite challenges, the decade of the Paris Agreement has sparked the fastest energy revolution in human history: 

1. Explosive Growth of Renewable Energy

According to the 2023 Renewable Power Generation Costs Report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and its annual Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics, the global cost of solar power has dropped by 82%, wind power by 39%, and the share of renewable energy in installed capacity has surged from 23% in 2015 to 40% in 2023. Major economies like China, India, and the EU have repeatedly set new records in wind and solar power generation. In 2023, China contributed over 50% of the world’s new renewable energy installations. 

2. Gradual Withdrawal of Fossil Fuels

The Net Zero Tracker 2023 report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit shows that 88% of global carbon emissions are now covered by national carbon neutrality targets. The European Environment Agency’s 2023 Energy Transition Assessment reveals that coal’s share in the global power mix has fallen from 38% in 2015 to 35% in 2023, while EU coal-fired power generation has decreased by 52% compared to 2013. 

3. Taking Shape of Global Climate Governance Mechanisms

From "Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)" to "Global Stocktake," and from carbon market rules to loss and damage funds, the Paris Agreement has established the basic framework for international climate governance. The World Bank’s 2023 State and Trends of Carbon Pricing shows that global carbon markets now cover 24 jurisdictions, accounting for 55% of global GDP. 

Behind these numbers lies a revolution in mindset: a decade ago, "carbon neutrality" was an unfamiliar term; today, it has become a national strategy, a corporate standard, and even a lifestyle choice for ordinary people. 

 

 

02 Bumpy Journey: Clashes Between Ideal and Reality

The decade of the Paris Agreement has also been a revelatory tale of great-power games, interest disputes, and human frailty: 

1. U.S. Policy Oscillations

In 2017, the Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement; in 2021, the Biden administration高调 (high-profile) rejoined; and in 2025, after Trump returned to power, he swiftly signed an executive order to withdraw again. Such policy swings caused global climate action to lose momentum. Although U.S. carbon emissions fell by 15% in 2023 compared to 2005, it remains the developed country with the highest per capita emissions. 

2. Empty Promises from Developed Nations

The promise made by developed countries at the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to provide $100 billion annually in climate financing to developing countries was barely fulfilled in 2022, with most funds provided as loans. The UN’s 2023 Adaptation Gap Report stated: "The funding gap is enormous, and financing has become a key constraint on climate action in developing countries." 

3. Rebound in Emissions Due to Pandemics and Wars

After the economic recovery from the 2021 pandemic, global carbon emissions rebounded strongly to the second-highest level in history. The Russia-Ukraine conflict prompted Europe to restart coal power, forcing developing countries to struggle to balance emission reduction and survival. 

Climate action has never been a linear process; it has been repeatedly disrupted by economic cycles, political elections, and energy crises. Each interruption pushes the 1.5°C target further out of reach. 

 

 

03 Prominent Dilemmas: Can Humanity Outpace Time?

Standing at the threshold of 2025, several dilemmas have grown more acute: 

1. The Chasm Between Emission Reduction Efforts and Temperature Control Goals

According to the UN Environment Programme’s 2023 Emissions Gap Report, current national commitments can only limit global warming to 2.5–2.9°C. Achieving the 1.5°C target requires an additional reduction of 28 billion tons of CO₂ equivalent. Even if all NDCs are fully implemented, global carbon emissions must still decrease by 28% by 2030 to align with the 1.5°C goal. 

2. Contradictions in Funding and Technology Transfer

The UNFCCC’s 2023 Funding Needs Assessment estimates that developing countries require $2.4 trillion annually to address the climate crisis, but current funding flows are less than one-sixth of that. With 80% of key technology patents held by developed countries, intellectual property barriers have further exacerbated North-South disparities. 

3. Geopolitical Drag on Emission Reduction Progress

The Russia-Ukraine conflict caused a 6% surge in Europe’s coal consumption in 2022, with Germany restarting 27 coal-fired power plants, adding annual carbon emissions equivalent to New Zealand’s total. Global military spending is 20 times that of climate financing. The war in Yemen has driven up transportation costs for photovoltaic modules in the Red Sea by 300%. Geopolitical conflicts are hindering emission reduction efforts in multiple dimensions. 

The climate crisis lays bare fundamental contradictions in global governance – the conflict between the urgency of emission reduction and lagging action, coupled with the dual pressures of funding and technology faced by developing countries, exposing the hollowness of climate commitments and imbalances in global cooperation. 

 

 

04 Next Decade: A Critical Turning Point in Global Climate Governance

1. Technological Breakthroughs Reshaping the Climate Action Framework

The 2023 COP28 for the first time pushed "phasing out fossil fuels" onto the international agenda, breaking long-standing taboos in climate negotiations. Key technologies such as green hydrogen and nuclear fusion have made breakthroughs. With over 60% of the global photovoltaic and battery production capacity, China has significantly reduced the cost of clean technologies, aiding developing countries’ green transitions. 

2. Citizen Movements Reconstructing Climate Governance Rules

Between 2020 and 2023, youth in 35 countries sued their governments for constitutional violations over "climate human rights." Data from the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance shows that ESG assets under management have grown from $22.8 trillion in 2016 to $41 trillion in 2023, with capital flows accelerating the transformation of high-carbon industries. 

3. Social Consensus Accelerating Systemic Transformation

Consumer carbon footprint applications now cover 1.2 billion people globally, with the green consumption market exceeding $8 trillion in 2023. McKinsey’s 2024 Corporate Climate Action Stress Test report notes that employee climate strikes have forced multinational corporations to shorten their carbon neutrality target timelines by an average of 7.2 years. 

The awakening of civil society is translating into institutional change – from judicial litigation driving legislative improvements to capital markets forcing industrial restructuring, grassroots forces are reshaping the climate governance system through multi-dimensional pathways. 

 

 

Epilogue

The first decade of the Paris Agreement has been a pivotal stage in the history of global climate governance and a crucial journey for human civilization to seek breakthroughs amid 裂痕 (schisms) in consensus. The next decade may be the final battle determining the fate of civilization. What we need is not perfection, but progress fast enough; not utopia, but the avoidance of the worst-case scenarios. As the last line of the Paris Agreement text states: "In the name of the peoples of the Earth, we have come together here." – This may be where hope lies. 

 

 

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