In December of past year, negotiators from 179 countries and the European Union hashed out the final details of the Paris Agreement, but so far only 23 have ratified the accord.
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The accord, which sets ambitious goals for capping global warming and funnelling trillions of dollars to poor countries, will come into effect 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified it. China vowed that its growing emissions will top out by 2030.
The G-20 summit opens Sunday in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. That means China and the US, which produce almost 40 percent the world’s greenhouse gases, are now officially part of the landmark agreement negotiated by 195 nations in Paris a year ago.
The announcement is a major diplomatic achievement for the US president, who ends his term in January. More efficient use of energy and the installation of solar and wind power plants have also played a role, Li said, adding that he is hopeful that China will not only honor the Paris Agreement, but overachieve it: “There’s been encouraging progress, but a lot of work still needs to be done domestically”.
Obama and Xi, who are at odds on issues including the South China Sea and cybersecurity, formally submitted their ratification of the Paris Agreement to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who arrives in China later on Saturday, is also expected to announce his formal adoption of the climate agreement. The papers certified the USA and China have taken the necessary steps to join the Paris accord that set nation-by-nation targets for cutting carbon emissions.
The two countries that together account for approximately 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions have agreed to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, both governments announced on Saturday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that climate change concerns the well-being and future of humanity.
History would show that the Paris deal would “ultimately prove to be a turning point”, he said, “the moment we finally chose to save our planet”.
Xi also called on other countries to push for ratification. Fifty-five nations must join for the agreement to take effect. The U.S. says it’s hopeful that will happen this year.
Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping pledged their nations to the historic deal on the eve of talks between the Group of Twenty nations, midway through a year likely to break records as the hottest in modern human history.
But the welcome ceremony didn’t go entirely smoothly.
The White House issued a statement on Saturday morning announcing the United States ratification. A young girl presented Obama with flowers and he shook hands with officials before entering his motorcade.
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Even National Security Adviser Susan Rice and her deputy, Ben Rhodes, were briefly caught up in the dustup, as the official tried to keep them away, too. The Chinese government has broad control over domestic media and prevents many foreign media outlets from publishing in the country, including by blocking their websites.
