The Paris Agreement

an analysis of the (in)effectiveness os nationally determined contributions from Brazil, China, The United States and the European Union

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the (in)effectiveness of the Paris Agreement as a mechanism to combat climate change. The present study is justified by the need to expand the studies on the effectiveness of law in society from the perspective of the sociology of law, based on the complexity of negotiations, which involve the search for a consensus within the scope of global society. First, the historical path of negotiations up to the formalization of the Paris Agreement was analyzed. Next, the Nationally Determined Contributions proposed by Brazil, China, the United States and the European Union were analyzed, considering that the Nationally Determined Contributions are the main means to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The text starts from cosmopolitan thinking and how the theory could help in understanding the importance of the Agreement for humanity. The study carried out is of a qualitative exploratory nature, developed through documentary and bibliographic consultations, covering sources drawn from international organizations directly involved in studies of the environment and climate change. It is concluded that the most recent Nationally Determined Contributions were more ambitious, but it is still necessary to make the results obtained by the country parties more transparent.