2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP21, was held in Paris and led to the adoption of the Paris Agreement. The agreement aims to keep the increase in global average temperature well below two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to one and a half degrees. Instead of fixed targets imposed on countries, each country submits its own nationally determined contributions, which are reviewed every five years, and developed countries committed to support developing countries with climate finance. It was adopted by consensus and entered into force in 2016. The United States withdrew in 2020 and rejoined in 2021. The conference took place only weeks after terrorist attacks in Paris, which led to heavy security.

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