Climate Change and Environmental Law Guide: International Agreements

On this page, you will find links to the texts (readable PDFs and official Bluebook compliant versions), overviews, and Bluebook citations to the following international agreements:

The Paris Agreement
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Kyoto Protocol
The Ozone Treaties: Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol
Convention on Biological Diversity (includes the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols)
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal
Aarhus Convention
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Convention on the Law of the Sea

Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: There is also a proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty which would complement Paris Agreement by creating a roadmap to halting the expansion of fossil fuels and managing an equitable phase-out of coal, oil, and gas. Though so far only 12 nation-states have supported the Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal, over 100 cities and subnational governments have endorsed the treaty.

Global Plastics Treaty: On March 2, 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme adopted a resolution, UNEP/EA.5/Res.14, to negotiate an international legally binding agreement by 2024 to address plastic pollution. Some estimates predict that global emissions from plastic production could triple to account for one-fifth of the Earth’s remaining carbon budget by the middle of the century. The negotiations for the Plastics Treaty involves nation-states, indigenous communities, and record numbers of fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists.

The Paris Agreement (2015)

Bluebook Citation: Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Dec. 12, 2015, T.I.A.S. No. 16-1104

Text of the Paris Agreement

Overview of the Paris Agreement

Provides an overview of the treaty, explanations of key aspects of the treaty, and the work done by the Conference of Parties.

Here you can find links to the signatories to the Agreement, ratification and entry into force.

The Katowice Climate Package

The Katowice package sets out the essential procedures and mechanisms that will make the Paris Agreement operational.

Provides an overview of key aspects of the Katowice Climate Package.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.