Prove Paris was more than paper promises

Beyond US President Donald Trump's decision in June to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a more profound challenge to the global climate pact is emerging. No major advanced industrialized country is on track to meet its pledges to control the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change. Here, Victor and colleagues warn that all major industrialized countries are failing to meet the pledges they made to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. They cite that Paris was a huge step forward. But the framework remains young, incomplete and fragile. Its benefits are still abstract to most stakeholders. The exit of the US could multiply those troubles, or it could provide an opportunity to fix the looming problem of incredible goals.