Negotiating the Paris Agreement: The Insider Stories

Chapter 11 – The High Ambition Coalition

The 2015 Paris Agreement represents the culmination of years of intense negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Designed to curb climate change, it was negotiated by almost 200 countries who came to the table with different backgrounds, perceptions and interests. As such, the Agreement represents a triumph for multilateralism in a period otherwise characterized by nationalist turns.How did countries reach the historical agreement, and what were the driving forces behind it? This book paints a full picture by providing and analysing multifaceted insider accounts from high-level delegates who represented developed and developing countries, civil society, businesses, the French Presidency, and the UNFCCC Secretariat.In doing so, the book documents not only the negotiation of the Paris Agreement but also the dynamics and factors that shaped it. A better understanding of these dynamics and factors can guide future negotiations and help us solve global challenges.
Edited by Henrik JepsenCentre for Multilateral Negotiations, Magnus LundgrenCentre for Multilateral Negotiations, Kai MonheimCentre for Multilateral Negotiations, Hayley Walker

 

Cambridge University Press

 

September 2021