Options for the Legal Form of the Paris Outcome

 

By: Achala Abeysinghe, Caroline Prolo

There are various legal options for the form of the final outcome from the COP21 to be held in Paris that comes under the three broad options listed in the Durban Decision.

While any outcome in Paris can be potentially called ‘Paris Agreement’, it must be noted that in international law, an agreement may or may not refer to a legally binding arrangement; the legally binding nature will depend upon its terms for commitments, compliance and enforcement. This paper discusses various legal form options for the Paris Agreement, in light of the UNFCCC regime and the international law.