United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed action taken by the European Parliament on Tuesday to enable European Union member states to deposit their instruments of ratification to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“I’m very pleased that today the European Parliament has also supported the speedy ratification of the Paris Agreement,” Mr. Ban said. “With the action today by the European Parliament, I am confident that we will be able to cross the 55 percent threshold very soon, in a matter of a few days.”
The Paris 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 only after at least 55 countries, responsible for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.
India, which accounts for 4.1 per cent of emissions, on Sunday became the 62nd country to join the Agreement, leaving just slightly more than 3 percentage points to reach the remaining 55 per cent threshold. No EU Member State has joined the climate pact yet, but Tuesday’s parliamentary action means national ministers can join the agreement on behalf of the EU later this week.
“We have seen extraordinary momentum from all corners of the globe to bring the Paris Agreement to life this year,” Mr. Ban said. “By their actions here today, European Parliamentarians have underscored their commitment to international cooperation, which is at the heart of the European Union’s identity.”
Read the Secretary-General’s full remarks to the European Parliament here.