From the Paris Agreement and Montreal Protocol to the Biodiversity Framework and High Seas Treaty, these agreements continue to shape climate action and biodiversity protection.
By Namith DP | Aug 18, 2025
The international community has negotiated dozens of environmental treaties over the last five decades. Some failed, others produced limited results, but fifteen still shape laws, markets, and enforcement systems across multiple sectors today. From climate change and biodiversity to waste management, ocean governance, and chemical safety, these agreements remain binding frameworks that determine how governments, industries, and communities operate.
1) Paris Agreement (2015)
- Purpose: The Paris Agreement commits nearly 200 Parties to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C and pursue efforts for 1.5°C. Each country submits and updates its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years.
- Why it matters now: In 2025, countries are revising their post-2020 NDCs to align with the outcomes of the first global stocktake. The IPCC confirms that emissions must fall 43% from 2019 levels by 2030 to keep 1.5°C viable. Many NDCs still fall short, making the Paris Agreement the central platform for climate diplomacy and finance.
- Tracking progress: UNFCCC’s NDC registry provides updates, while independent groups such as Climate Action Tracker rate countries’ alignment with temperature goals.
2) UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992)
- Purpose: The UNFCCC establishes the objective of preventing “dangerous anthropogenic interference” with the climate system. It set up the COP process and reporting obligations.
- Why it matters now: Every climate negotiation, transparency framework, and market mechanism still derives its legal authority from the UNFCCC. Without it, neither the Kyoto Protocol nor Paris Agreement would exist.
- Tracking progress: All greenhouse gas inventories, biennial transparency reports, and national communications are filed through UNFCCC systems.
3) Kyoto Protocol (1997)
- Purpose: Kyoto was the first treaty with legally binding targets for developed countries. It introduced carbon market mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI).
- Why it matters now: Although its second commitment period ended in 2020, Kyoto’s accounting and verification methods continue to underpin international carbon markets, offset standards, and compliance tools. Many current registries were built from its architecture.
- Tracking progress: Historical Kyoto compliance data remain archived on the UNFCCC site and inform baseline assessments for post-2020 markets.
4) Vienna Convention & Montreal Protocol (1985/1987) + Kigali Amendment (2016)
- Purpose: The Vienna Convention created the framework for action on ozone-depleting substances. The Montreal Protocol operationalized it with binding phaseouts. The Kigali Amendment added a phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases used in cooling.
- Why it matters now: UNEP and WMO report that the ozone layer is on track to recover to 1980 levels by 2040 globally and 2066 over Antarctica. Kigali could prevent up to 0.5°C of warming this century by cutting HFCs.
- Tracking progress: The Ozone Secretariat publishes annual updates and scientific assessments that track recovery.
5) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992) + Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF, 2022)
- Purpose: The CBD addresses conservation, sustainable use, and equitable sharing of genetic resources. The 2022 GBF adds 23 measurable targets, including protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030 (known as 30×30).
- Why it matters now: Countries must align their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with GBF targets, covering restoration, invasive species control, and harmful subsidies worth $500 billion annually.
- Tracking progress: The CBD Secretariat provides national submissions and dashboards for monitoring protected area growth.
6) CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, 1973)
- Purpose: CITES regulates trade in listed wild species to prevent over-exploitation. It uses three appendices for different levels of protection.
- Why it matters now: With 185 Parties, CITES listings shape global supply chains for timber, ivory, reptiles, and marine species. Enforcement agencies use its permit system to intercept illegal shipments.
- Tracking progress: COP decisions update species listings regularly; CITES.org maintains real-time data.
7) Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971)
- Purpose: Ramsar promotes the conservation and wise use of wetlands through site designations.
- Why it matters now: Over 2,500 Ramsar Sites have been designated worldwide. Wetlands serve as carbon sinks, flood buffers, and biodiversity hotspots, and Ramsar status influences national planning decisions.
- Tracking progress: The Ramsar Sites Information Service provides detailed data sheets for all listed wetlands.
8) Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes (1989) + Ban Amendment
- Purpose: Basel restricts the cross-border movement of hazardous waste, ensuring that disposal occurs safely. The Ban Amendment prohibits hazardous waste exports from OECD to non-OECD countries.
- Why it matters now: Basel provisions regulate global e-waste and plastic waste flows. Customs agencies rely on its procedures to inspect shipments and enforce compliance.
- Tracking progress: Basel.int publishes national reports, technical guidelines, and illegal traffic cases.
9) Rotterdam Convention (1998)
- Purpose: Rotterdam enforces Prior Informed Consent (PIC) for hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade. Exporters must obtain consent before shipping.
- Why it matters now: Many developing countries depend on PIC to avoid unsafe imports of pesticides and chemicals banned elsewhere.
- Tracking progress: Annex III lists are updated at each COP, with detailed chemical dossiers on pic.int.
10) Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs, 2001)
- Purpose: Stockholm eliminates or restricts dangerous chemicals like PCBs, DDT, and dioxins. It mandates safe stockpile management and site remediation.
- Why it matters now: New POPs are added periodically, compelling industries to redesign products and adopt safer alternatives.
- Tracking progress: POPs guidelines detail national action plans, control measures, and compliance.
11) Minamata Convention on Mercury (2013)
- Purpose: This treaty addresses mercury emissions, trade, and use in products and artisanal gold mining.
- Why it matters now: Governments are phasing out mercury-added products like fluorescent lamps and dental amalgam. National action plans on artisanal and small-scale gold mining reduce exposure for millions of workers.
- Tracking progress: Minamataconvention.org hosts country reports, exemptions, and progress dashboards.
12) UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD, 1994)
- Purpose: The UNCCD coordinates efforts to halt land degradation and achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030.
- Why it matters now: More than 100 countries have set voluntary LDN targets. Integrating these into agriculture and forestry helps combat droughts and food insecurity.
- Tracking progress: The UNCCD publishes global SDG 15.3 indicators and land productivity maps.
13) UNCLOS (1982) + Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ, 2023)
- Purpose: UNCLOS governs all ocean uses, including pollution control, EEZ rights, and deep-sea resources. The BBNJ Treaty adds tools for high-seas protected areas and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.
- Why it matters now: As of 2025, more than 55 ratifications have been deposited, close to the 60 needed for entry into force. Once effective, BBNJ will reshape high-seas governance.
- Tracking progress: Ratification counts are tracked on the UN Treaty Collection.
14) MARPOL (1973/78, Annex VI)
- Purpose: MARPOL regulates pollution from ships, including oil spills, sewage, garbage, and air emissions. Annex VI targets SOx, NOx, and particulate matter.
- Why it matters now: The 2020 global sulphur cap has reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by 77%. The IMO is debating mid-term greenhouse gas measures, including carbon intensity targets for marine fuels.
- Tracking progress: IMO.org hosts MEPC decisions, compliance data, and emissions reports.
15) Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty (1991)
- Purpose: The Madrid Protocol designates Antarctica as a natural reserve and bans mineral resource exploitation. It mandates strict environmental impact assessments and waste management.
- Why it matters now: It preserves the continent for scientific research and ecosystem protection. With climate change accelerating Antarctic ice loss, its legal protections remain critical.
- Tracking progress: Antarctic Treaty Secretariat publishes meeting reports and inspection findings.
Signals to Watch in 2025
- Climate: Updated NDCs will reveal whether countries move closer to the 43% global cut benchmark.
- Ozone: UNEP/WMO assessments will confirm recovery timelines for different regions.
- Biodiversity: Countries are designating new protected areas to meet 30×30.
- High seas: The 60-ratification threshold for BBNJ could be crossed this year.
- Shipping: IMO negotiations on lifecycle GHG intensity standards may reshape fuel markets.
- Chemicals: COPs under Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm will add more substances to global controls.
Conclusion
These fifteen agreements remain the backbone of international environmental governance in 2025. Each one delivers measurable outcomes: lower emissions, cleaner shipping fuel, protected species, reduced chemical exposure, and stronger conservation measures. Policymakers, businesses, and researchers must continue to use them as benchmarks for risk management, compliance, and investment strategies.
The next decade will test whether countries can fully implement the commitments embedded in these treaties. For now, they remain the most reliable frameworks for steering global environmental policy toward measurable results.
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Good job by all these countries