India ratifies Paris climate pact at UN, brings it ever closer to taking effect

In a message issued by his spokesman, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “warmly congratulates India for ratifying and formally joining the Paris Agreement on Sunday.”

“India's leadership builds on the continued strong political momentum from Paris for urgent global action on climate change,” the statement said. “The Secretary-General calls on all Parties to accelerate their domestic procedures in order to join the agreement as soon as possible this year. Action on climate change is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and creating a more prosperous, equitable and livable future for all people.”

The Agreement, which calls on countries to combat climate change and limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, will take effect 30 days after at least 55 countries, responsible for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.

With on Sunday's action by India, which accounts for 4.1 per cent of the emissions, the Agreement only needs slightly more than 3 percentage points to reach the 55 per cent threshold.

Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as COP21 last December, the Agreement was signed in New York on 22 April this year by 175 countries.

During the UN General Assembly's general debate, which ended this past Monday, the number of countries that deposited their instruments of ratification reached 61, crossing one of the two thresholds required to bring it into force. The world's two largest emitters, China and the United States, had already joined the Agreement.

India's ratification came on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the country's independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence. The UN General Assembly, through a resolution in 2007, designated 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence.

At a briefing three days ago, David Nabarro, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, expressed confidence that the Paris Agreement will enter into force at some point this year, highlighting that besides India, at least 14 other countries, representing at least 12 per cent of global emissions, have committed to ratifying the pact.

Source: United Nations

Source: www.justearthnews.com