US and China ratify Paris climate agreement
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.0210084
Inside Climate News : On 3 September both the US and China formally ratified the Paris climate agreement that was drawn up in late 2015. For the agreement to go into effect, 55 countries representing 55% of global carbon dioxide emissions must ratify it; the US and China together account for about 38% of global emissions. Another 24 countries representing just 1% of emissions have already ratified the agreement. It is likely that the 55/55 target will be reached by the end of the year, when the European Union and several independent countries are expected to ratify the agreement. The treaty calls for nations to significantly cut their CO2 emissions in order to stave off devastating global climate changes.