Paris Agreement Comes into Force but Sets Us on Course for a 3.5 Degree World, Says Friends of the Earth International

On Friday 4 November, just days before the UN climate talks open in Marrakech, the Paris Agreement comes into force. Friends of the Earth International reiterates its concern that without greater ambition and more urgency theParis Agreement will fail to deliver the scale of fair and drastic action needed to prevent dangerous climate change.

1971 countries have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to hold the global temperature increase to "well below 2degC above pre-industrial levels" and to "pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degC above pre-industrial levels.'' However, even if countries stick to commitments made so far, we can expect at least 3.5degC of warming2.

"After 24 years of negotiations we are hurtling towards a 3.5 degree world, which will be catastrophic for millions across the world," said Dipti Bhatnagar, Climate Justice and Energy Coordinator for Friends of the Earth International. "Despite all the science-based evidence, rich countries are failing to do their fair share of emissions reductions as well as provide much-needed finance to drive energy transformation in developing countries. The clock is ticking, we havealmost no time left to ensure the peoples of Africaare not sacrificed to increasing temperatures."

"There are 1.2 billion people living with no access to electricity and over half of those people are in Africa," said Geoffrey Kamese, Senior Programme Officer, Friends of the Earth Uganda / NAPE "Africa-led and people-centred initiatives - such as the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative - must be given support to work for people. However, we're only seeing more of the same - old and indeed new dirty energy projects - oil, coal, gas and big dams, fracking, even tar sands - continue to devastate communities.

The Paris Agreement's goal of preventing catastrophic climate change and protecting the world's poor will be worthless if governments use it to open the door to untested, dangerous geo-engineering (that will also trigger a global land grab for agrofuels), and to focus on discredited solutions such as carbon markets and nuclear energy.

Friends of the Earth International champions the real solutions to the climate crisis: steep and urgent reductions in carbon emissions, in line with each country's fair share; an end to deforestation; new, public finance and support for clean, sustainable, people-centred power solutions, and a transformation in our food systems. These solutions have long been underway, initiated by people and their communities. Decision-makers must listen to the people, listen to the science, and stop wasting precious time and money on false solutions.