The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and now has over 190 parties. Its objective is expressed in Article 2 of the convention as “stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic [human- induced] interference in the climate system.”

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Durban in December 2011, Parties decided to launch a process to develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties. The Paris Agreement was adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties in December 2015 and is to come into effect and be implemented from 2020.

The Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, including by holding temperature rise well below 2 degrees (and to pursue efforts to limit to 1.5 degrees), increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and making finance flows consistent with low greenhouse gas and climate resilient development. It addresses mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, transparency of action and support and capacity-building.