The small East African island nation of Seychelles has become the 16th country to ratify the Paris Agreement. The nation represents such a small percentage of global emissions, however, that its addition barely wiggles the needle toward the numbers needed for the agreement to come into force. The accord will take effect shortly after at least 55 parties, representing no less than 55 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, have ratified, accepted, or approved the agreement at the national level. The 16 countries that have ratified the agreement to date account for .04 percent of global emissions.
The Paris Agreement opened for signature late last month and was immediately signed by 175 nations. Two more nations, Seychelles and Gambia, added their signatures days later. The agreement, the first of its kind to include climate action contributions from developing and developed nations, was adopted in December during the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The signatures signal nations’ intentions to join the agreement.
Fifteen other countries have ratified the agreement: Barbados, Belize, Fiji, Grenada, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Nauru, Palau, the state of Palestine, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Somalia, and Tuvalu.
A significant chunk of the 55 percent requirement will be met by China, which announced during the April 22 signing ceremony that it will join the Paris Agreement ahead of the next Group of 20 Summit, scheduled for September. China represents 20.09 percent of global emissions. The United States, which signed the agreement April 22 as well, and which represents 17.89 percent of global emissions, has also indicated its intention to join the agreement before the end of the year.
Australia, Argentina, Cameroon, Canada, France, Mali, Mexico, and the Philippines have also suggested an intention to join early. The agreement is anticipated come into force within the next two years. The addition of the U.S., China, and these countries would put the tally at 44.85% of global emissions.
The Paris Agreement is built around the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions of the member parties to the UNFCCC. The INDCs (NDCs after ratification), are public commitments to take action on climate. According to data released Monday in an updated Synthesis Report of National Climate Plans from the UNFCCC, 189 Parties to the Convention, including the European Union, representing 95.7 per cent of global emissions in 2010, have filed their INDCs.
“INDCs are expected to deliver sizeable emission reductions and slow down emissions growth in the coming decade. However, these are still not enough to keep the global temperature rise since pre-industrial times to below 2, or preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius,” according to an UNFCCC release.