China and the US will ratify the Paris agreement this year
(Baonghean.vn) – China and the US, the two leading countries in greenhouse gas emissions, have promised to officially ratify the Paris agreement on climate change by the end of this year, promising to speed up the implementation of the agreement faster than expected.
 |
| Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli signs the Paris Agreement on climate change at the UN headquarters in New York on April 22. |
The United Nations said Friday’s signing by 175 countries was a global step forward on climate change. Fifteen of those countries have formally ratified the agreement, while many others still need to get it through their parliaments. The agreement will only come into force when it is ratified by at least 55 countries, and those countries must account for 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
China and the United States alone account for 38 percent of total annual emissions. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said the country would complete legal procedures to ratify the agreement before the G20 summit in Hangzhou in September.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the country will formally ratify the Paris agreement this year under the authority of President Barack Obama.
The agreement calls for countries to limit global warming to just 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. But even if the agreement is implemented, cutting greenhouse gas emissions will not be enough to stop warming, according to the United Nations.
Temperatures hit record highs in the first three months of 2016; and 2015 was the hottest year on record since the 19th century, with a series of prolonged heat waves, droughts, and rising sea levels.
Thanh Hien
(According to Reuters)
