Written by Marcin Grajewski,
After more than 20 years of negotiations, nearly 200 countries reached a landmark agreement in December 2015 on tackling climate change and its impacts. The European Union, with its ambitious climate policy, had been a strong advocate on a deal to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
The Paris agreement, conducted under the auspices of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, envisages a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to “well below” 2°C above pre-industrial levels, pursuing efforts to limit the rise to 1.5°C. This would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change. Many analysts have hailed the agreement as historic, but critics say it came too late and is too limited in scope.
This note brings together commentaries, analyses and studies by major international think tanks and research institutes published in reaction to the Paris agreement.

Paris 2015: Just a first step
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, February 2016
COP21 and the Paris Agreement: A diplomacy masterclass in search of greater climate ambition
Fundación Real Instituto Elcano, February 2016
Beyond Paris: Avoiding the trap of carbon metrics
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, February 2016
What role for carbon markets in the 2015 climate agreement?
Center for Climate for Energy Solutions, February 2016
The Paris Agreement: Analysis, assessment and outlook
Ecologic Institute, February 2016
The Paris Agreement: A framework for local inclusion
International Institute for Environment and Development, February 2016
Reviewing implementation under the Paris Agreement
Stockholm Environment Institute, February 2016
Beyond the targets: Assessing the political credibility of pledges for the Paris Agreement
Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment, February 2016
Carbon market provisions in the Paris Agreement
Centre for European Policy Studies, January 2016
COP21: Haro sur le charbon
Institut français des relations internationales, January 2016
When the champagne is finished: Why the post-Paris parade of climate euphoria is largely premature
Brookings Institution, January 2016
The business case for climate protection after COP 21
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, January 2016
After COP21: What needs to happen for the Paris Agreement to take effect?
World Resources Institute, January 2016
Finance for climate resilience in the dawn of the Paris era
Center for American Progress, January 2016
Changements climatiques: Les enjeux de la COP 21
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, December 2015
Threats to the Paris accord
Friends of Europe, The Centre for Progressive Policy Research, December 2015
COP 21 and the Paris Agreement: The force reawakened
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, December 2015
Too early to celebrate: What markets tell us about the credibility of the Paris climate agreement
Bruegel, December 2015
A historic agreement in Paris
International Institute for Environment and Development, December 2015
Essential elements of a Paris Climate Agreement
Centre for Climate for Energy Solutions, December 2015
Takeaways from COP21
Carnegie Europe, December 2015
The Paris Agreement: Kick-Off for true global climate cooperation
Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, December 2015
COP21: Wins and losses for the Least Developed Countries
Danish Institute for International Studies, December 2015
Beyond the Paris agreement: COP21 shouldn’t be a milestone, but rather a launching pad for a new phase of climate action
Brookings Institution, December 2015
Paris climate agreement at a glance
Friends of Europe, December 2015
Paris Agreement: A good foundation for meaningful progress
Resources for the Future, December 2015.
[…] amount to 5-20% of GDP. This demonstrates the need for action to reduce emissions and thereby meet global climate goals. The EU is unlikely to be able to achieve its own climate objectives, such as the reduction by […]
[…] amount to 5-20% of GDP. This demonstrates the need for action to reduce emissions and thereby meet global climate goals. The EU is unlikely to be able to achieve its own climate objectives, such as the reduction by […]
[…] gases. Although the scope and ambition of the Paris Agreement have been criticised as ‘too little, too late‘, it certainly presents a historic step forward in the race against the negative effects of […]