Adopted at the UN climate conference in December 2015, the Paris Agreement committed nearly all of the world's governments to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, aiming for 1.5 degrees, through nationally determined emissions targets. It established a framework of regular review and ratcheting of pledges. Cities and regions featured prominently as actors, given that urban areas account for the bulk of energy use and emissions. The agreement entered into force in 2016.
It set the global decarbonisation target that now frames urban policy on transport, buildings and energy, accelerating planning around low-carbon, compact and resilient cities.
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