New Delhi, March 31 -- The successful negotiation of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change was made possible by a key compromise on country-wise commitments. These would no longer be determined in a top-down manner based on what would be needed to cap global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at safe levels (the Kyoto protocol approach), but instead through a bottom-up approach by countries themselves in accordance with their national development priorities-or nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

This key difference recognized the diverse development status of countries, their need for economic growth and varied capacity to invest in a climate transition.

At the same time, the pact recognized that a bottom-up approach could resu...