The latest tranche of countries to ratify the agreement included a number of leading emerging economies, including Brazil, Bangladesh and Morocco, which is preparing to host the next United Nations climate summit in November. It’s worth exploring how this might come to be.
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The Paris Agreement asks both rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures that is melting glaciers, raising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns across the globe. They disagreed, however, about much else.
“Brazilian President, Michel Temer affirmed his country’s commitment to fighting global warming, ‘Tomorrow I will deposit Brazil’s instruments of ratification of the Paris Agreement”. As it happens, that part of the agreement has already been buffeted by geopolitical headwinds and is likely to face increasing turbulence in the years to come. “With the Paris Agreement we are tackling the defining challenge of our time”.
Countries representing just 7.22 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions now need to lodge their ratification documents with the United Nations for the Paris Agreement to reach the 55 per cent of global emissions threshold and turn the agreement into a formal treaty.
On the bright side, in a stunning diplomatic coup, President Obama persuaded Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign the accord with him during a recent meeting of the G-20 group of leading economies in Hangzhou. “We must not delay any further”.
Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are the largest emitters on the list announced late Tuesday by the United Nations.
French Environment Minister Segolene Royal told AFP on Monday that she was upbeat the accord would take effect before the next UN-led climate conference on November 7 in Marrakesh, Morocco.
On the dark side, however, Great Britain’s astonishingBrexit vote has complicated the task of ensuring the European Union’s approval of the agreement, as European solidarity on the climate issue-a major factor in the success of the Paris negotiations-can no longer be assured.
In addition, the United Nations today confirmed that Malawi, Armenia, Zambia and Chile this week became the latest countries to sign the Paris Agreement – the step before full ratification – bringing the total number of signatories up to 185.
The Brexit campaign itself was spearheaded by politicians who were also major critics of climate science and strong opponents of efforts to promote a transition from carbon-based fuels to green sources of energy. “As other major economies surge forward on climate action, it is important that the United Kingdom does not get left behind”.
During his opening remarks, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon underscored the importance of the climate change agenda.
He said European Union environment ministers will meet Friday to discuss a plan to ratify the agreement as a bloc, even though only a handful of the 28 member states have approved it domestically.
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Trump, who once claimed global warming is a hoax “created by and for the Chinese”, vowed in May that he would pull out of the historic Paris Climate Agreement if he wins the USA presidential election in November, reports The Huffington Post.
