The global accord to combat climate change agreed in Paris last year has officially been put into effect today. It calls on nearly 200 countries to start executing plans to slash their greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Agreement seeks to wean the world economy off fossil fuels in the second half of the century, limiting the rise in average world temperatures to "well below" two-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. CCTV’s correspondent looks back at what’s happened since the landmark climate pact was agreed upon last December.

It was something the world could cheer about. 195 nations approve a deal to halt global warming.

They agreed to keep global temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius above than pre-industrial levels.

The accord also laid out a long-term plan to reach peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.

And every five years each country’s progress in cutting emissions will be subject to review.

Rich counties will also have to help poorer nations by providing “climate finance” to help them switch to renewable energy.

Four months later in New York 175 countries signed the accord.

But there was another step before the Paris treaty could take effect.

At least 55 countries accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions needed to ratify the deal.

Efforts to bring the deal into force were given a big boost in September when China and the USA – the world’s two large greenhouse gas emitters – ratified the agreement.

The following month, the European Union did the same. That pushed the accord past the required threshold. The climate change agreement would come into force on November 4th.

When the deal was reached here in Paris last year few imagined that by the time they convened for the next climate change conference the agreement would be in force. Now that it is the focus in Marrakech will be on how to make sure the pledges made in the past year will be kept and how they can be improved on.