COP21 climate deal praised for scope and ambition

In what many are hailing as an “historic” agreement, 196 countries finally reached a deal at the COP21 climate talks in Paris over the weekend.

Key points include the aim to keep temperatures “well below” the 2°C widely accepted as a threshold for dangerous warming, with an “endeavour to limit” change to a much more ambitious target of 1.5°C. Plans to reach zero net carbon emissions at some point in the second half of this century have also been agreed, and countries have signed up to review their individual targets and pathways every five years.

The deal has been praised for its scope and ambition, but with global temperatures already 1°C higher than pre-industrial levels, significant innovation and investment must now follow if these targets are to be reached.

“Over the past fortnight we have already seen governments and the private sector commit to hugely increase levels of investment into the innovation and deployment of low carbon energy technologies,” said Michael Rea, COO of the Carbon Trust.