Remaining Research Agendas in the Post-2020 Period under the Paris Agreement

Abstract

This paper aims at examining key issues that should be prioritized and dealt with by academic experts in the next three to five years, particularly for the purpose of supporting effective implementation of the Paris Agreement in the post-2020 period. The paper starts off with a section briefly illustrating the overall architecture and provisions of the Paris Agreement, followed by a section mapping out major themes under which remaining issues exist that should be overcome before countries start taking actions under Paris Agreement rules after 2020, and how researchers could contribute to resolving these remaining issues. Among the remaining issues, this article takes up the dimension related to governance of the Paris Agreement, covering agendas related to equity and transparency. Other major elements should be further elaborated by other articles in this special issue. The paper concludes by presenting recommendations to a Japanese audience as to how Japan should proceed in the post-2020 period under the Paris Agreement. There are two ways of looking at the world. The first is the traditional image of the 20th century, where the economy is grounded in a stable fossil fuel supply, and emission reduction seems costly. The second is a new image of the 21st century, where emission reduction is considered an opportunity for change. The paper argues that Japanese stakeholders and researchers are affected by the former image of the world, but they need to be aware of the transition, and start taking action today.