Paris Climate Agreement

The twenty-first Conference of Parties (COP21) took place in Paris, France from November 30 to December 11, 2015. The result of the two week summit is a commitment by 195 countries to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, beginning in 2020, as a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol. The final Paris Climate Agreement (Agreement) was adopted on December 12 after an extra day of deliberation and signed by 174 nations and the European Union on April 22, 2016. This issue brief summarizes key components of the Agreement.