Key Issues in Completing the Paris Climate Architecture

The Paris Agreement establishes an international framework to strengthen the global response to climate change. Governments are now negotiating operational aspects of the agreement, including details of the transparency framework; a five-year cycle to review collective progress and update parties’ contributions; and the agreement’s market-related provisions. These implementing decisions are due to be adopted at the first session of the agreement’s governing body, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, known as the CMA. With the agreement’s rapid entry into force, CMA 1 will open at COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier than anticipated; it likely will be extended beyond COP 22 to allow more time to complete the decisions. This brief outlines the Paris Agreement’s core provisions, major issues still to be decided, and some of the options before parties.