[JURIST] Janos Pasztor, the UN Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change, on Friday, announced [press release] that the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris on November 30th must serve as the turning point for climate law throughout the world. The conference will take place in Le Bourget in Paris. Of the countries attending the conference, Pasztor reported that 166 have submitted plans to limit their emissions so that global temperature will rise no more than 3 degrees by the end of the century. These 166 countries are responsible for approximately 90% of the worlds emissions. Pastor stated that he is optimistic for the future of climate laws.

According to many experts, climate change [JURIST backgrounder] as a result of global greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most pressing and controversial environmental issues facing the international community today. In July US President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced an agreement [text] to address climate change [JURIST report]. Both countries pledged to reduce carbon emissions by increasing the use of wind and solar power sources to 20 percent of each nation’s electricity production by 2030. Brazil also pledged to help reduce the deforestation problem by restoring nearly 30 million acres of Amazon rain forest. China also announced its climate change goals [press release] in July, including reducing its adjusted carbon monoxide output by 60 percent.