The groundbreaking Paris Agreement adopted at COP21 last month sets the stagefor unprecedented international climate action. Much of the discussion about benefits from the Agreement has focused on countries’ new climate plans, or “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs), which are aimed at the post-2020 period. But the decisions made in Paris can also ramp up climate action in the short term, too—even before 2020.

The decision adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP) in tandem with the Paris Agreement itself includes a set of elements to “ensure the highest possible mitigation efforts in the pre-2020 period.” These actions are essential if we’re going to achieve the Paris Agreement’s long-term goal of keeping global warming to well below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) above pre-industrial levels and try to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) to avoid the worst climate impacts.