Why climate multilateralism still matters
Ten years ago, the world achieved what many thought impossible: nearly all nations on earth agreed on a common roadmap to confront the greatest challenge of our century. The Paris Agreement, adopted on the 12th of December 2015, was more than a diplomatic success. It was a triumph of collective leadership, science-based multilateralism, and shared responsibility.
France is proud to have played a central role in securing this historic agreement. Our global diplomatic network worked tirelessly to build bridges, to listen, to compromise, and to bring 195 parties into a legally binding agreement that set a clear goal: limit global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, with efforts to stay under 1.5 degrees Celsius. This 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold is not symbolic; it is scientific. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that beyond it, the impacts of climate change will become increasingly severe, irreversible, and profoundly destabilizing.
For the first time, all countries, developed and developing, committed to reducing emissions, strengthening adaptation, and supporting the most vulnerable. And despite geopolitical tensions, economic shocks, and evolving global crises, the Paris Agreement has proven resilient. Almost every nation on earth remains committed to its objectives.
Real progress, but still too slow. A decade later, we can measure concrete progress. Before the 21st Conference of the Parties, the world was heading toward a catastrophic +4 degrees Celsius warming trajectory. Today, thanks to new commitments announced at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), projections place us closer to 2.3 degrees Celsius to 2.5 degrees Celsius. For the first time, global emissions are expected to decline in absolute terms, by an estimated 12 percent by 2035 relative to 2019 levels.
But we must be candid: this is still far from enough. To preserve a livable world, all major emitters must urgently strengthen their climate policies, deliver on their pledges, and commit to pathways aligned with 1.5 degrees Celsius. The cost of inaction is already far higher than the cost of transition.
The Paris Agreement has transformed the global economy. Clean energy is the new backbone of development. This year alone, $2 trillion were invested in clean energy technologies, twice the amount spent on fossil fuels. Renewable energy, once more expensive than coal, is now often the cheapest, cleanest, and most reliable option.
Solutions exist, in many cases, they are now more cost-effective than high-pollution alternatives. The green transition is not a burden; it is a source of innovation, competitiveness, and social opportunity.
Europe and France: leading by example. For over 40 years, the European Union and France have been pioneers of climate action. Ahead of COP30, we worked to secure a clear, science-based roadmap for the EU: a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 1990, and full climate neutrality by 2050. This includes a gradual phase out of fossil fuels, strengthened energy sovereignty, protection of vital ecosystems, and the development of strong, competitive green industries.
Solidarity remains at the heart of our climate diplomacy. France and Europe are the world’s largest contributors of climate finance to the most vulnerable countries, the small island developing states and least-developed nations that suffer the impacts of climate change despite having contributed least to its causes. In 2024 alone, France mobilized €7.2 billion in climate finance for developing countries, including €3 billion dedicated to adaptation. Nearly half of our climate finance takes the form of grants, not loans.
We support just and equitable transitions. Through the French Development Agency, we have financed 2,430 climate co-benefit projects since 2015, supporting sustainable agriculture, clean transport, resilient infrastructure, and renewable energy.
France is also investing €100 million to advance universal access to clean cooking by 2030, a vital but often overlooked dimension of climate justice, gender equality, public health, and forest protection.
The road ahead: science, solidarity, and shared leadership. The urgency of the climate crisis grows each year. The impacts we once feared have become the daily reality of millions, including here in the Philippines, one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world and a vital partner of France.
The results of COP30 did not meet the level of ambition needed. Despite all efforts, the final agreement did not include global roadmaps to phase out fossil fuels or halt deforestation. Yet we must not allow setbacks to erode the progress we have built. Instead, we must recommit to science as our compass. At a time when climate misinformation is on the rise, defending scientific truth is more essential than ever.
The Paris Agreement has given us the tools. We must now deliver on its promise. France stands ready, alongside the Philippines and all our partners, to make the next decade one of decisive action.
—————-
Marie Fontanel is the ambassador of France to the Philippines.
