Analysis offers specific recommendations for how to move forward in key areas, including finance, mitigation, adaptation, transparency and accountability

Bonn, Germany (May 19, 2016)– A new paper lays out what must be accomplished for the Paris Agreement to effectively limit global warming. Today, World Resources Institute released Staying on Track from Paris: Advancing the Key Elements of the Paris Agreement, which maps key milestones for rules and processes to implement the Paris Agreement.

The paper highlights the key tasks ahead and provides climate leaders and negotiators with specific suggestions to move each of the 10 key elements of the Agreement forward with effective rules, guidelines and processes. The paper also focuses on important steps needed to increase ambition before 2020 and make sure global emissions peak as soon as possible.

Accompanying the paper, WRI also created a visual map of the important milestones for each track of the Paris Agreement. This unique visual tool provides a useful overlay of timing and order to the tasks and decision points ahead and will serve as a helpful reference to keep each of the key issues on track.

“We must turn the Paris Agreement from a moment in history into a living reality,” said David Waskow, director, International Climate Initiative, WRI. “Bonn is the first big opportunity for countries to tackle the rules and tools for the new, post-Paris terrain. Staying on Track from Paris offers a practical ‘to-do list’ for negotiators to help them to implement it.”

The paper covers a broad range of issues such as:

  • Key approaches for improving processes to raise ambition pre and post 2020;
  • Suggestions for the development of updated and new nationally determined contributions; and
  • Areas where additional guidance is needed to build trust by enhancing transparency and accountability.

The release coincides with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) conference in Bonn, Germany which is the first time delegates have gathered since the Paris Agreement was signed in April by 177 nations. Parties have a lot to do and a limited amount of time before the rules, guidelines and processes are to be adopted at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. This will happen after the Agreement’s entry into force, which is automatically triggered when 55 Parties representing 55% of global emissions join the Agreement.

“Negotiators in Bonn are working on all our behalves to engineer our way to a common low carbon and climate-resilient future. We hope our detailed paper and map help make their undertaking more effective in advancing the long-term, transformational goals of the Paris Agreement,” said Yamide Dagnet, senior associate, WRI, and lead author of Staying on Track from Paris.

Read the paper and accompanying map at www.wri.org/ontrackfromparis