The story was written on December 12, 2015 in Paris. More heads of state than ever in human history have come together under one roof to support the negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The adoption of the Paris Agreement is an abandonment of the structure adopted by most international climate agreements for more than 20 years. For the first time, more than 180 developing and developing countries have committed to reducing their emissions. Historically, indeed. However, as with any change, it is likely that the pain will increase. Many details of the implementation measures have yet to be negotiated. The key to the success of the Paris Agreement depends on the details of a robust transparency mechanism. Organizations that are not, at this stage, within the scope of the agreement include: private sector obligations, private financing, non-state actors and sub-national authorities.

However, some are in favour of their inclusion in the negotiation process and in the text. A WRI discussion paper proposed allowing the private sector and NGOs to submit proposals for „procedural justice“ at five-year intervals. One of the great successes of the Paris Agreement has been the dissolution of the „single model of international environmental policy“ in favour of a more diverse, more inclusive approach – as a result, the global community is getting wider purchases from more nations. This new approach has even attracted the participation of a large number of sub- and non-state actors and has opened up huge sources of income, while cultivating an unprecedented climate change dynamic. At the beginning of COP21, the NAZCA portal listed „nearly 11,000 commitments from 2,250 cities, 150 regions, 2,025 companies, 424 investors and 235 civil society organizations.“ While this level of global participation and ambition is unprecedented and undoubtedly optimistic, there have been headaches for capacity and transparency. Developing countries may find it difficult to overcome the information burden of the quagmire of actors and non-governmental organizations that were created to support the Paris Agreement. An effective transparency mechanism requires accurate and accurate measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from all nations, as well as reports and audits (MRVs). The Paris agreement is great in that it defines its structure, but the capacity to implement it is insufficient. Over the past two decades, only about 40 industrialized countries (Annex I contracting parties) have been required to report their emissions to the United Nations on a regular and detailed basis.