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In December 2015, leaders from nearly 200 nations met in Paris,
France. They met to discuss climate change. The United Nations
(UN) climate talks produced the Paris Agreement. It's a global pact.
It obliges nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Government
and business leaders from around the world agreed to take action.

The goal of the agreement is to limit greenhouse gases. Burning
fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas produces these gases. They
trap heat. This warms the planet's surface and causes climate
change.

The countries pledged to limit the amount of greenhouse gases Photo credit and all related images:
humans produce. The level can't be higher than the level that trees, Philippe Wojazer/Pool Photo via AP
soil, and oceans can absorb naturally. Countries agreed to reach this
goal sometime between 2050 and 2100. The agreement also states French President François Hollande
(left) and United Nations Secretary-
that global average temperatures cannot rise too much. General Ban Ki-moon (center left)
Temperatures have risen since the 19th century. Earth has warmed speak with other leaders about a
more than 1 degree Celsius (1.9 degrees Fahrenheit) since then. The landmark international agreement to
agreement says it can't warm more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 slow climate change.
degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100.

Even before the talks began, leaders were exploring ways their nations could stop producing greenhouse gases.
More than 180 nations submitted climate action plans before the conference. Many attendees promised to
cooperate on climate initiatives.

One such promise aimed to promote clean energy. Clean energy does not produce greenhouse gas pollution.
Nineteen governments joined an initiative to research clean energy. Business owners did too. Their goal was to
make it cheaper for the world to use.

New technology is needed to make clean energy cheaper. For instance, people need ways to store wind and
solar energy. That way they can be used no matter the weather.

All of this will require money. At the climate talks, many governments pledged to increase their spending on
clean energy. This group included countries that make and use lots of energy. It included the U.S., China, India,
Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Canada, France, and Norway. These nations invested a total of about $10 billion a
year in clean energy at the time.

Another key to stopping climate change is to rebuild natural resources. Earth has lost half of its forests over
human history, according to the World Resources Institute. Plants absorb greenhouse gases. This means that
deforestation contributes to climate change.

Deforestation is an issue in many places. One is Africa. Unlawful logging is a problem there. Ethiopia, Kenya,
Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and other African nations pledged to replant about 100 million hectares (some
386,000 square miles) of forest by 2030.
Around the world, people have mixed reactions to the Paris Agreement. Millions celebrate it. They say that the
meeting was historic. They like that many countries came together in peace. Millions of others criticize the
agreement. They think that it is not enough. Still others question whether the nations will follow through on
their promises.
In the end, many nations approved the agreement. Meeting its goals remains a challenge, though.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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