Did you know that 65 percent of Americans are “somewhat worried” about climate change? 29 percent are reported to be “very worried.”
Climate change is one of the biggest problems facing humanity! If left unchecked, the coming climate breakdown is expected to cause untold disaster for many of the world’s people.
The Paris Climate Agreement is the most important development in the fight against global warming so far. Signed in 2016, it is considered a turning point toward a greener future.
And yet, many people are confused about what the Paris Agreement means. If you find the climate agreement too daunting to read, check out our helpful guide below!
1. What is the Paris Climate Agreement?
When the world’s leaders came together in 2015, they hoped that they could agree to deal with climate change. We’d been here before in Copenhagen in 2009.
Last time it failed. Fortunately, this time the determination to get an agreement was successful.
The agreement was signed by almost every state. It sets out to fight climate change and deal with the consequences of global warming. The task was to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
2. What is the Agreement’s Target?
The target was to limit the global rise in temperature to under 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. However, there is also a more ambitious target.
In the agreement, signatories express the desire to limit the rise in temperature to below 1.5 degrees, which is now considered the critical threshold by the IPCC. This would avoid the more harmful consequences of climate change.
3. How Can This Target Be Achieved?
Climate change is a global problem! That means that it can’t be tackled by individual states by themselves. And yet, each state has a set of different ways to contribute to the fight against climate change.
Since how each state generates energy is key to the challenge, the transition to renewable energy, such as solar, hydro, and wind energy, is essential. However, a range of other causes of climate change needs to be overcome. This includes the emissions caused by agriculture, transport, and manufacturing industries.
4. Which Nations Have Signed Up?
As of early 2026, 194 countries are formal parties to the Paris Agreement. When President Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the agreement.
As of 2025, almost every nation on Earth has formally joined the agreement. The only holdouts are Iran, Libya, and Yemen.
5. Why Does the United States Want to Leave?
Not everyone in the United States wants to leave the agreement. Over 83 percent of the public wants the government to do more to tackle climate change.
On top of that, there are a bunch of organizations and state and local governments putting programs in place to meet the goals of the climate change agreement.
However, the US federal government is against the Paris Agreement. President Trump first announced the US withdrawal in 2017. After the US rejoined under President Biden in 2021, Trump signed a new executive order to withdraw again on January 20, 2025, his first day back in office.
In fact, Trump has argued that the United States should withdraw because he cares about the environment. It is argued that the agreement would make it difficult for the administration to support so-called “clean coal“.
6. Has the United States Already Left?
The United States has had a complicated relationship with the Paris Agreement. After withdrawing at the end of Trump’s first term in 2020, President Biden rejoined on his first day in office in 2021.
Then, on January 20, 2025, Trump signed a new executive order to withdraw again. Under the treaty’s terms, that withdrawal becomes formal approximately one year later in early 2026. And it does not stop here; the Trump administration went further, announcing withdrawal from the UNFCCC itself, the foundational treaty underlying all international climate cooperation since 1992. This makes the current situation more consequential than the first withdrawal.
At that point, the US will be one of only a handful of non-parties, alongside Libya, Yemen, and Iran.
7. What Could the Paris Agreement Achieve?
Of course, the target is limiting the global rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This could be achieved if states go carbon neutral.
If every state does what they say they’ll do, then the goal could be reached. However, a lot of this is guesswork from scientists who cannot say anything for certain. We’re in uncharted territory.
8. How do we Know States are Doing What They Said They Would?
The Paris Agreement also focuses on transparency and reporting. This allows the public to be aware of the developments in climate change policy in their home country. This hopefully allows for accountability.
States signed up to the agreement also agree to meet every five years to adjust the plans for tackling climate change. Therefore, as the latest technology and science emerge, states can make more ambitious targets.
9. What Has Been Achieved So Far?
There have been some promising stories recently that may give you hope that the goal of defeating climate change can be achieved. For example, India has made record-breaking strides in renewable energy, adding 30 GW of clean power in 2024–25 alone, the fastest pace ever. Still, coal generates around 75% of the country’s electricity output, showing just how steep the transition remains.
10. Are We Making Progress?
The Paris Agreement was a landmark moment. However, we’re not out of the woods yet. Recent reports have found that the Earth is increasingly threatened by climate change.
The glacial melting in Antarctica is causing growing worries that our targets are not ambitious enough. Temperatures are growing at a rapid rate. 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded, breaking the record set in 2023, according to NASA, and scientists warn we are increasingly at risk of breaching the 1.5°C threshold. It is unclear whether the world’s economy can move quickly enough.
Learn More About Environmental Problems?
Now you know what the Paris Climate Agreement is all about. It’s an encouraging step in the right direction. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work involved in saving the planet from global warming over the coming years.
Do you want to know how you can help fight climate change in your daily life? Check out our blog post to learn how to live a greener and more eco-friendly lifestyle.
FAQ
Not for much longer. Trump signed an executive order to withdraw on January 20, 2025, and under the treaty’s terms, that withdrawal becomes formal approximately one year later. Once out, the US will join Libya, Yemen, and Iran as the only countries not party to the agreement.
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030. Most current national commitments fall well short of that pace.
COP29 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024. Key outcomes included ratification of a framework under Article 6.4 to create a UN-backed body to regulate international carbon credit trading, along with an agreement on a new climate finance pledge.
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