The ACT2025 Podcast: Finalizing the Rules of the Paris Agreement

In this second episode of the ACT2025 Podcast, we hear about why finalizing the “rules” within the Paris Agreement is so important — not only to boost climate action, but also to protect climate-vulnerable communities.

Yamide Dagnet, Director of Climate Negotiations, WRI

“[The Paris Agreement] needs a solid architecture. It must be designed with effective rules and processes that are participatory, inclusive, fair and able to catalyze the ambition action, preserve environmental integrity, foster solidarity and cooperation among countries … build trust that we’re going to get there.”

Tony La Viña, Executive Director, Manila Observatory (ACT2025 partner)

“The most important reason why the right rules have to be in place is accountability, every country becomes accountable for what it says it will do. If you allow countries to do whatever they want, to claim whatever they want to say, then you won’t achieve your targets. That makes the Paris Agreement meaningless.”

Sandra Guzman, Founder, Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean

"If we do not build these rules in a balanced way, in an inclusive way, at the end of the day what is at stake is the credibility of the Paris Agreement."

More About ACT2025

For the November COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, the stakes could not be higher: to prevent catastrophic climate change that will disproportionately affect low-income countries and their people. In the face of widespread climate impacts, some of the countries most at risk have strived to be as ambitious as possible with their climate action. But because the majority of major emitters and high-income countries are not making good on their commitments or finance pledges, climate-vulnerable countries face even greater risks in the future.

WRI and a coalition of organizations and experts from all over the world — mostly the global South — recently formed the ACT2025 consortium to ensure voices from countries most exposed to climate change are heard, empowered, mobilized and adequately supported in international climate negotiations. The ACT2025 Podcast is a new WRI miniseries looking at what’s needed to secure ambitious, just and equitable outcomes at COP26 and beyond, especially for climate-vulnerable countries.

Find more podcasts and resources on other aspects of ACT2025 here.

Useful Links

• ACT2025 Alliance Statement
• Navigating the Paris Agreement Rulebook
• WRI Video: Common Time Frames
• WRI Video: Carbon Markets
• WRI Video: Transparency
• WRI Video: Christiana Figueres Explains the Global Stocktake
• Manila Observatory
• Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean

Mima Holt, Nate Warszawski and Chikondi Thangata contributed to the production of this podcast.