Is the Paris Agreement a success and what does it mean for the energy sector?

Journal article

On 12 December 2015, the French President of the UN Climate Change Conference gavelled through the Paris Agreement in the presence of a few thousand country delegates. The conference room broke into euphoric cheers and applause as negotiators celebrated success in a task that just six years earlier had seemed all but impossible. Those who had been closely involved in the process described the Paris Agreement as the best possible outcome. Governments, investors, experts, and activists worldwide affirmed it had signalled the end of the fossil fuel era.

This short article examines these two affirmations. It asks: what did Paris do to deserve to be called a success, and where does it fall short? What does the Paris Agreement mean for the energy sector?

Authors: Luomi, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
• Journal: Oxford Energy Forum
• Volume: 105
• Pages: 4-7
• ISSN: 0959-7727
• Keywords: Oxford Energy Forum; OIES