Mitigation Commitments Under the Paris Agreement and the Way Forward

To deliver the ‘durable’ outcome called for by the Durban mandate, the Paris Agreement was always going to demand a credible level of mitigation ambition, given what science indicates is needed to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, as well as credible tools for delivering this required effort. Against the backdrop of the mitigation efforts adopted in Paris, this paper considers: (1) the direction and pace of future travel set by the Paris Agreement; (2) the necessary reductions implied by the new 1.5°C limit; (3) what the first set of ndc s under the Agreement is likely to deliver for the atmosphere; and (4) the tools available to ramp up mitigation ambition under the Agreement.