The deal itself required that all countries that take part in the agreement reduce their greenhouse gas emissions “as soon as possible”, continuing those reductions as the century continues to progress. “The Paris agreement on climate change is a monumental success for the planet and its people”.
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Modi said that the outcome of Paris Agreement has no winners or losers and climate justice has won.
Obama, speaking from the White House, said the leaders from almost 200 nations working in Paris “met the moment” in agreeing to what is being described as the most ambitious climate change agreement in history.
Previous attempts at achieving worldwide agreement on climate change have focused on developed economies taking action to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but have in general skipped over even vast developing countries-like China and India-from such obligations.
“We appreciate the efforts that all parties have made, especially host country France”, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said.
The first universal agreement on climate change was finally reached this weekend, following weeks of negotiations and extended deadlines.
-LONG-TERM GOAL: The long-term objective of the agreement is to make sure global warming stays “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and to “pursue efforts” to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
President Obama on Saturday declared the Paris climate agreement “a turning point for the world”.
Irish environment minister Alan Kelly and his Stormont counterpart Mark H Durkan both welcomed the weekend accord struck between 195 countries.
The theory is that, with a stocktake every five years, a form of global peer pressure will keep countries on track and to some extent that has already worked, with all the nations showing good will and solid groundwork in their individual plans to limit emissions ahead of Paris.
The United Nations’s 21st Conference of the Parties on climate change, or COP21, was held in Le Bourget outside Paris.
“What matters is that today we can be more confident that this planet will be in better shape for the next generation”.
Xie stressed that China, as a responsible developing country, will take worldwide obligations commensurate with its own national condition, development stage and actual capacity. “We have a lot of steps to do and we are doing it now”, he added.
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The deal also encourages the spending of trillions of dollars towards adapting to the effects of climate change. It is an agreement of solidarity with the most vulnerable.
