The year 2015 was the warmest in history, and the three months of 2016 continue to position themselves first in the ranking. The trend shows that this does not stop and if we do not do something, the world as we know it we will only see it in the movies. Extreme events such as the floods in several provinces of Argentina, or the tornado in the Uruguayan city of Dolores, confirm that the climate is changing and it is doing so at a faster rate than science predicted.

The 195 countries that signed the Paris Agreement pledged to implement actions to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The objective is to contain the increase in the global temperature of the planet to levels below 2 ° C and to make efforts to limit the increase in temperatures to 1.5 ° C degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. Thus, by 2050, GHG emissions from human activities should be fully captured by natural or technological means.

The Agreement proposes clear rules for a transition to a low-carbon economy. Some of the priority areas of work of the signatory countries will be renewable energy, sustainable mobility, agroecology, waste management, recycling and reuse, water and energy conservation, and clean technologies. In addition, the creation of protected areas that allow to conserve ecosystems and preserve habitats and species will be taken into account, as well as the carrying out of infrastructure works to contain floods or remedy the effects of climatic disasters or sea level rise.

As part of this Agreement, most of the countries undertook to reduce their emissions by defined percentages according to their possibilities of implementing mitigation actions and allowing sustainable development. These percentages will be reviewed and redefined every five years. What is interesting about this Agreement, and what differentiates it from the Copenhagen Agreement, is that it is binding, that is, it has legal effects on the signatory countries, despite the fact that no specific sanctions are included. Likewise, the countries undertook to produce periodic reports on the actions taken to reduce emissions, which to some extent encourages them to comply with their commitments.

Although no figures were agreed, the Agreement commits developed countries to continue offering financial support to developing countries to help them reduce their emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change. These funds will be implemented from 2020 and should reach a minimum of 100 billion dollars, a figure that will be updated in 2025.

Now, the next step is for the Agreement to be ratified next year by 55 countries, through their respective parliaments, which represent at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The signing of this Agreement entails the confirmation by the international community that climate change is the greatest threat we face at the global level and that we must make efforts to stop it and remedy its effects. The signatory countries pledged to reduce their emissions, which in some cases means postponing development goals. Many of them postponed very ambitious goals and this must be interpreted as a sign of understanding of the seriousness of the situation.

At the same time, the project constitutes an important opportunity for research, innovation and development. New technologies that allow reducing the use of fossil fuels to generate energy, for water management, for the improvement and efficiency of industrial processes, as well as the generation of green businesses, new market conditions and competitiveness, will produce a radical change in The humanity. This will allow us to migrate towards a new low-carbon economy and will propose new social paradigms.

In our country, the signing of the Paris Agreement has already had interesting repercussions. The government has already ordered the creation of an Interministerial Cabinet for Climate Change that will allow the articulation of actions between ministries and jurisdictions, academia and civil society to be able to face the reduction commitments agreed in Paris.

Patricia himschoot R21 Director of Scientific Affairs