The European Union has formally joined the Paris Climate Agreement, tipping the global agreement over the much-anticipated 55% emissions threshold needed for entry into force. The Agreement previously crossed the 55 country threshold in September at a UN event hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The landmark Paris Agreement on climate change will officially enter into force on November 4, 2016. It sets a goal of keeping a global warming increase below 2°C.
The Agreement will enter into force in the month, just ahead of the upcoming climate negotiations in Marrakech, Morocco.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Signed, sealed, and delivered. After years of tireless dedication and work toward an international climate deal, the Paris Agreement has finally jumped off the page and into reality. This step forward means that the Paris Agreement will enter into force this year, and that’s not a moment too soon.
“In Paris, fossil fuels received their expiration date, and today’s announcement marks a global turning point that unites the world to finally take action to tackle the climate crisis while unquestionably putting us on a path toward a modern clean energy economy. The Sierra Club applauds the unprecedented global leadership that brought us to this historic moment and recognizes that it would not have been possible without the collective action of activists around the world working to protect our families, our communities, our air, our water, and our climate.”
“Now that the Agreement is a reality, we must finally align our global energy and economic policies to meet these goals and end subsidies for outdated fossil fuels, transition to 100 percent clean energy, and stop harmful trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership that run counter to the goals of the Paris Agreement.”
Background on the Paris Agreement:
- The Paris Climate Agreement will enter into force 30 days after 55 countries representing 55% of global carbon emissions formally join the Agreement (which will occur on November 4th).
- The countries that have joined the Paris Agreement to date are: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Cameroon, China, Cook Islands, Dominica, the European Union, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niger, North Korea, Norway, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, The Bahamas, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vanuatu.
- In total, 74 countries have joined or committed to join the Paris Agreement by the end of 2016, accounting for 60.34% of global emissions.
- Countries that have announced their commitment to joining the Paris Agreement by the end of 2016 include Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Korea.
- Once the Agreement enters into force, it will take at least four years for any one country to officially leave.
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