The Paris Agreement on Climate Change: Analysis and Commentary

The most important climate agreement in history, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change represents the commitment of the nations of the world to address and curb climate change.Signed in December 2015, it entered into force on 4th November 2016. Countries are moving into implementation, and efforts at all levels will be needed to fulfill its ambitious goals.

The Paris Climate Agreement: Commentary and Analysis combines a comprehensive legal appraisal and critique of the new Agreement with a practical and structured commentary to all its Articles. Part I discusses the general context for the Paris Agreement, detailing the scientific, political, and social drivers behind it, providing an overview of the pre-existing regime, and tracking the history of the negotiations. It examines the evolution of key concepts such as common but differentiated responsibilities, and analyses the legal form of the Agreement and the nature of its provisions. Part II comprises individual chapters on each Article of the Agreement, with detailed commentary of the provisions which highlights central aspects from the negotiating history and the legal nature of the obligations. It describes the institutional arrangements and considerations for national implementation, providing practical advice and prospects for future development. Part III reflects on the Paris Agreement as a whole: its strengths and weaknesses, its potential for further development, and its relationship with other areas of public international law and governance.

The book is an invaluable resource for academics and practitioners, policy makers, and actors in the private sector and civil society, as they negotiate the implementation of the Agreement in domestic law and policy.

Daniel Klein, Legal Officer, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat,Maria Pia Carazo, Professor, University for Peace, Costa Rica,Meinhard Doelle, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada,Jane Bulmer, Legal Officer, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat,Andrew Higham, Chief Executive, Mission 2020

Daniel Klein is an international environmental law expert, currently working as Legal Officer at the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC). He worked for seven years in the central unit of the UNFCCC's Executive Direction and Management Programme responsible for coordinating the substantive support to the international negotiations, first, under the Bali Road Map process (2009-2012), and second, on the Paris Agreement (2013-2015).

Maria Pia Carazo is a member of the faculty of the Department of International Law at the UN-mandated University for Peace. Her current research focuses on harmonization of international legal regimes, human rights and climate change. Among others, she worked as a researcher at Max-Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany.

Meinhard Doelle is a professor at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, where he teaches climate change, energy and environmental law, and serves as Associate Dean, Research. His current research focusses on the UN climate regime, energy governance, and environmental impact assessments.


Jane Bulmer is an expert in international environmental law. She has worked as a lawyer for the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat since 2009, where she was a key member of the secretariat team that supported negotiations for the Paris Agreement. In particular, she worked on issues relating to the global stocktake and provided legal and procedural advice.


Andrew Higham is Chief Executive of Mission 2020, an initiative aimed at driving down global emissions at the pace required for full decarbonization by 2050. He was in charge of driving the strategy for reaching a universal, legally binding agreement within the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat from 2011-2016: managing the formation of the Durban Mandate and later on the team that supported the drafting of the Paris Agreement.