LANDING THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

The United States’ chief negotiator chronicles the intricate negotiations leading to the landmark 2015 accord.

Stern dubs the Paris climate agreement an action framework that “immediately changed the game on climate change.” He spells out in great detail the extent to which the success of a multilateral agreement involving 195 nations hinged on seemingly endless talk and innumerable meetings. Beginning with the 2009 Conference of the Parties, he situates the reader in the many discussions required to resolve language concerning such issues as each country’s emission goals, the differential treatment of developed and developing countries, and the degree of transparency to ensure compliance. These negotiations occurred in a multitude of “pull-aside conversations,” restaurant dinners, “impromptu huddles,” side meetings, telephone calls, and intragovernmental consultations. They necessitated lawyers, diplomats, technical analysts, political operatives, policy advisors, and wordsmiths who understood the “constructive ambiguity” of this consensus-based process. In his first-person account, Stern generously praises his staff, political leaders such as President Obama, and the many people who offered cogent advice and artfully chaired critical meetings. On December 12, 2015, COP 21 adopted an agreement Stern characterizes as “ambitious" and "durable,” shifting the paradigm and sending the message that “we were heading for a global low-carbon future.” (That assertion is tempered by the fact that in 2016, President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement.) In his conclusion, Stern proposes that continued progress toward managing climate change depends on “political will and human motivation” and “a broad change in hearts and minds.” Admirable sentiments, but hardly helpful for guiding others through the nuances and legalities of multilateral negotiations. Though this account from the U.S. point of view is valuable, a full assessment of the Paris agreement awaits other perspectives, particularly from developing countries.

A crash course in the intricacies of multinational climate change policy.