8. Recent developments in international climate law and foreign climate legal actions, cases, and investigations warrant official or administrative notice. The Petitioners request that the Honorable Commission take official or administrative notice of the recent developments in international climate law and foreign legal actions, cases, and investigations concerning climate change, and some of these are “reminiscent”118 of the tobacco investigations and cases of the 1990s. The parties, facts, scientific bases, and legal grounds in the recent actions, cases, and investigations are similar or relevant to or have a bearing in this Petition. This section provides an overview of (a) the Paris Agreement and (b) climate-related legal actions, cases, and investigations that are relevant to this Petition. a. Paris Agreement On December 12, 2015, the historic Paris Agreement was agreed by 195 nations. The UNFCCC Secretariat proclaimed: The Paris Agreement for the first time brings all nations into a common cause based on their historic, current and future responsibilities. The universal agreement’s main aim is to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The 1.5 degree Celsius limit is a significantly safer defense line against the worst impacts of a changing climate. Additionally, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 118 D. Zegart, Senior Fellow at the Climate Investigations Center, Interview, The Real News Network, ExxonMobil Investigation Reminiscent of Tobacco Wars of 1990s, http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=16015 (last accessed on Apr. 19, 2016). ! ! ! ! ! 47 !