Landmark Paris climate agreement poised to take effect by end of 2016
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.0210121
Time : Now that 60 countries—including the world’s two largest carbon emitters, the US and China—have joined the Paris climate agreement, one of the two conditions needed for ratification has been met. The agreement calls for a minimum of 55 countries. The 60 countries account for almost 48% of global emissions, still shy of the 55% needed to satisfy the second condition. However, because of the number of countries that have committed to joining in 2016, its passage is virtually guaranteed, said United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon at a 21 September meeting in New York. The speed with which the agreement has been accepted “is testament to the urgency of the crisis we all face,” he said in a statement.