The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, with 196 parties committing to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, pursuing efforts to limit increase to 1.5°C. Nations pledged voluntary emissions reductions through nationally determined contributions, with mechanisms for transparency and periodic review. Though lacking enforcement mechanisms, the agreement represented unprecedented global consensus on climate action necessity, though implementation gaps remain significant.

Climate crisis inspired ecopoetry addressing environmental degradation, extinction, and humanity's relationship with nature. Poets like Craig Santos Perez and Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner combine indigenous perspectives with climate science, while others like Jorie Graham explore temporal scales beyond human lifespans. Climate poetry often employs documentary techniques incorporating scientific data alongside lyrical expression. The genre addresses eco-anxiety, interspecies ethics, and responsibilities to future generations, expanding poetry's thematic range while experimenting with forms adequate to representing planetary-scale crises that exceed traditional lyric's individual focus.