A total of 175 countries have signed the Paris climate agreement at the United Nations in New York City, making the biggest step towards saving the planet from the dangerous global warming.
The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C.
The main goal of the action plan focuses on reducing the gas emission globally, keeping in mind, that this will take longer and be harder for the more developed countries.
Countries, responsible for the 93% of the total gas emission that increases global warming, signed the Paris agreement in the ceremony on Friday.
Although the actions of the climate deal will start in 2020, China and USA stated that they will try to ratify the agreement in their parliaments within this year, showing a good example to other countries and hoping that the real actions could start taking place in the end of 2016 or 2017.
The prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, spoke about the countries, which feel the biggest damage the global warming has caused. Leonardo DiCaprio, who is also the UN messenger of peace, in his speech stated that “The world is now watching”, meaning that the world leaders, who are choosing to do something about the global warming will either be remembered as people who caused the destruction of the planet or as people who made the first steps in saving it.
A few facts from the agreement
Governments agreed:
- a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels;
- to aim to limit the increase to 1.5°C, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change;
- on the need for global emissions to peak as soon as possible, recognising that this will take longer for developing countries;
- to undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with the best available science.
Governments also agreed to come together every 5 years to set more ambitious targets as required by science; report to each other and the public on how well they are doing to implement their targets; track progress towards the long-term goal through a robust transparency and accountability system.
You can find all the information about the Paris climate agreement here.
