NEW YORK – The Paris Agreement on climate change is one giant step closer to entry into force after a Wednesday morning event at the United Nations General Assembly, and the environmentally minded could not be happier. In an event that lasted less than an hour, 31 nations submitted to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon their instruments of ratification for the accord, blowing past one of two thresholds of the agreement’s entry into force.
The Paris Agreement will enter into force 30 days after 55 nations representing at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions have formally ratified the agreement. Now, 60 nations representing 47.76 percent of global emissions have done so.
The response to the massive ratification was immediate and boisterous. “This is an extraordinary momentum by nations and a clear signal of their determination to implement Paris now and raise ambition over the decades to come,” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said in a written statement.
Going into the event, 29 nations representing 40.12 percent of global emissions had submitted their instruments of ratification. The countries that ratified the agreement Wednesday represent another 7.64 percent, bringing the total to 60 nations covering 47.76 percent of global emissions.
Ban, whose second term as secretary general will end at the close of the year, said during the event he is confident the Paris Agreement will enter into force before he leaves office. “When this year ends, I hope we can all look back with pride, knowing that, together, we seized the opportunity to act for the common good, for a sustainable future and the protection of our common home,” he added.
The nations that joined the agreement Wednesday are: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Dominica, Ghana, Guinea, Honduras, Iceland, Kiribati, Madagascar, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, Tonga, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Vanuatu.
Several other nations, the emissions of which would break the second threshold, pledged to join the agreement before the end of the year.
Entry into force of the Paris Agreement, which provides a framework for nations to pursue domestically developed climate mitigation and adaptation actions, is a three-step process. Nearly 200 nations adopted the deal in December at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCC. At U.N. headquarters in New York on April 22, 175 nations then signed the accord. Now those governments need to ratify the agreement.
The U.S. joined the Paris Agreement earlier this month in a joint ceremony with China. The nations are the top two emitters in the world. Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday morning, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry noted the many failed attempts to develop an international climate change agreement.
“We have shared our part of the blame for what has been a difficult road, and we accept that. And it’s one of the reasons why President Obama and I have been so focused and so committed to try to make up that difference and help us to get where we are today. But in Paris, my friends, in Paris, a remarkable thing happened,” he said, referencing the adoption of the agreement, which has had record-setting support worldwide. The April 22 signing ceremony saw the most nations sign an international agreement in one day in the history of the U.N.
Outside of the General Assembly hall, environmental groups hailed the ratification event a success but cautioned leaders not to rest on their laurels. “Today’s announcement that the Paris Agreement will take effect this year is good news for the planet, and underscores the growing momentum for climate action. But much work remains ahead on both implementing and raising the ambition of countries’ emissions reduction commitments, if we’re to reach the Paris goal of net zero global warming emissions by mid-century and avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a written statement.
For their part, the diplomats do not seem interested in slowing the momentum of the agreement anytime soon. “The bottom line is that even as we come here to celebrate – and this is a celebration – the challenge remains pronounced. And while the world took an enormous step by approving the most ambitious, inclusive climate agreement in history, the next step – bringing that agreement into force – must quickly follow,” Kerry said.
Espinosa echoed that sentiment. “The adoption, signing and ratification of the Paris Agreement are wonderful news but by no means the end. Securing a climate-safe world and supporting the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals is a multi-decadal effort of constant improvement. But we are out of the blocks and off down the track with enthusiasm, creativity and determination to make the transformation the people of this world expect and need,” she said.