Ten years after the Paris Agreement, COP30 in Belém —though quite eventful— has closed a chapter and opened another. The first Global Stocktake made clear the scale of the gap between political promises and the emissions cuts science demands. COP30 negotiated under that pressure, produced mixed outcomes, and left several decisive questions unresolved. This post […]
Introduction Few countries shape the fate of global climate governance as much as the United States (U.S). As the world’s second-largest emitter and a geopolitical heavyweight, U.S participation—or absence—casts a long shadow over the Paris Agreement. Over the past decade, the Paris regime has weathered three major U.S. policy shifts: Trump’s withdrawal, Biden’s return, and […]
Introduction The Paris Agreement’s greatest challenges lie not only in international negotiations, but in how countries reconcile global climate commitments with domestic energy policies. Canada provides a vivid example of this tension, with its climate leadership narrative on the global stage and its ongoing support for oil sands and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects at […]
Introduction As the Paris Agreement approaches its 10th anniversary, questions remain about how effectively it integrates human rights, especially the rights of Indigenous Peoples. While the preamble of the Paris Agreement acknowledges the importance of Indigenous knowledges and rights, the lack of binding provisions raises the question: was this a missed opportunity for meaningful Indigenous […]
Introduction As mentioned previously, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 23, 2025, issued its long-awaited advisory opinion on states’ legal obligations regarding climate change, following a request spearheaded by Vanuatu and other Pacific Island nations in March 2023. This landmark opinion comes nearly a decade after the Paris Agreement entered into force, could […]
Introduction As a follow up to my previous blog on climate finance, another keenly contested, emotionally charged and politically contentious area continues to be loss and damage. As climate disasters intensify—from floods in Pakistan to heatwaves in Canada and rising seas threatening Pacific Island nations—the question has moved from “should there be compensation?” to “how, […]
Climate change is not just an environmental problem; it is a justice problem. Developing countries – especially those least responsible for climate for global emissions- face the brunt of climate change impacts without financial means to respond adequately. The Paris Agreement recognized this imbalance and aimed to embed climate finance as a pillar of climate […]
My last blog post may have ended on a slightly gloomy note about governments’ accountability to their climate obligations. But in this post, I want to highlight a ray of hope — and show that it is not all gloom; there is bloom too. Let us explore how we can collectively push for real action! […]
After the world came together in 2015 in an unprecedented show of unity to adopt the Paris Agreement, two frequent questions linger. The first is how binding is the Paris Agreement? The second is what specific obligations are countries legally held to, and which are more political aspirations than enforceable rules? These may appear as […]
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. What have been the accomplishments and the challenges of this international treaty in this first decade of existence? My series of posts will explore key contents of this Agreement and corresponding implementation efforts required from countries to translate the Paris goals into real action. In […]
