"It is an unprecedented result." The enthusiasm of the Cop 21 organisers has grown exponentially in recent days, keeping pace with the arrival of dozens of "INDCs" (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) — that is, the official pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions put forward by governments around the world. In just a few weeks, the number of nations that are part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the Unfccc) that have submitted pledges has gone from around sixty to as many as 146. This means that approximately 75 per cent of states — representing 87 per cent of global emissions of climate-damaging agents — have informed the UN of their intentions on environmental policy.

Above all, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the Unfccc, points out that more than 80 per cent of the documents submitted include quantitative targets, not merely general indications: "Over the past few weeks, the number of governments that have submitted their INDCs has grown strongly, reaching a total never achieved before. This confirms the fact that the world recognises Cop 21 as a unique opportunity to adopt a sustainable development model."

It should be noted, however, that according to some scientific studies, the policies announced so far will not be sufficient to prevent global average temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century (the official objective of Cop 21). The United Nations will provide a synthesis report of all the INDCs received on 1 November, which should allow an overall assessment of the anti-climate-change effort planned at the global level. This report will be one of the documents on which governments will base their discussions in Paris.

Among these will also be the draft prepared by a working group led by Algeria's Ahmed Djoghlaf and American Dan Reifsnyder, which was published on 5 October. However, it should be said that this is a document that sets out only some broad general guidelines across around twenty pages, without going into the substance of numerous issues. Nevertheless, it specifies that countries will need to revise their policies every five years in line with the targets set at Cop 21. Furthermore, consideration is given to the possibility of launching action plans even before the date established at previous world conferences (namely 2020). The groundwork for an agreement, in short, appears to have been laid. The floor now passes to governments.