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Our planet, Our future

Milestones

Milestones

Fighting climate change around the world

Global efforts to fight climate change really began in 1992, when countries around the world signed an international treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Take a look at the major milestones in the global fight against climate change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is created, bringing together thousands of scientists to assess scientific evidence on climate change and its impacts

The UNFCCC adopts the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s first greenhouse gas emissions treaty

The EU launches its Emissions Trading System

The EU adopts its 2020 climate and energy package, 2007 with three key targets: reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % compared to 1990; increase the share of renewables to 20 % of EU energy use; and improve energy efficiency by 20 %

A UN climate change conference in Copenhagen ends without an overall agreement on binding emissions cuts

100 world leaders meet for a UN climate summit in New York; the IPCC's 5th Assessment Report on climate change declares that the below 2 °C objective is still within reach; the EU adopts its 2030 climate and energy package, including a target to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 % compared to 1990

A new global climate treaty – the Paris Agreement 2015 – is agreed. 195 countries commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to limit the increase in global temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels

The Paris Agreement enters into force on 4 November 2016

Countries agree on the detailed rules and guidelines to make the Paris Agreement work in practice across the world

EU leaders agree on the goal to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.

Almost all countries in the world join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the main international treaty for fighting climate change

Did you know?

Almost all countries in the world are members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – that's 197, including all EU Member States and the EU as an organisation.

A sign of global commitment

On 22 April 2016, 174 countries formally signed the Paris Agreement in New York – by far the largest number of countries ever to sign an international treaty on a single day.

For the Paris Agreement to become law, at least 55 countries representing at least 55 % of global emissions had to formally ratify it.

The EU formally ratified the deal on 5 October 2016, triggering its entry into force on 4 November, less than a year after it was adopted.

Did you know?

In 2018, the EU was responsible for less than 10 % of global CO2 emissions, while China accounted for around 30 % and the US 14 %.

Funding change

Poorer and more vulnerable nations need help cutting their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

The EU provides the largest amount of public money to developing countries to fund climate projects. In 2018, for example, the EU and its member countries collectively provided EUR 21.7 billion to help them tackle climate change. EU Member States also contributed almost half of the 2016 USD 10 billion pledged to the UN’s new Green Climate Fund, which is also supporting developing countries.

Did you know?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and former US Vice-President Al Gore were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for their work on climate change.

Well below 2 °C

Governments have agreed that to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change, the increase in the global temperature must be limited to well below 2 °C compared to the level in pre- industrial times (before the Industrial Revolution).

This is because scientists believe that beyond this point the risk of irreversible large-scale changes increases dramatically. Countries have also agreed to try to limit warming to 1.5 °C, as this would significantly reduce the risks and the impacts of climate change.

These objectives were agreed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the international agreement to address the climate challenge.

Did you know?

One third of investments from the EU’s NextGenerationEU Recovery Plan, and the EU’s seven-year budget will finance the European Green Deal. That’s EUR 600 billion!