European ministers are meeting to push ahead with ratifying the world’s first comprehensive climate treaty – a move which will see the deal come into force.
The Paris Agreement, which commits countries to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero this century to prevent dangerous climate change, has been formally adopted by dozens of countries including major polluters the US and China.
But for the agreement secured in the French capital last December to come into force, it must be ratified by at least 55 countries accounting for 55% of the world’s emissions.
Sixty-one countries have already ratified the deal, while the emissions total is just below 48%.
European Union ratification will allow the bloc’s 12% of global emissions to count towards the total before all individual member states have signed up, allowing the agreement to enter into force before the end of the year – much sooner than the planned 2020 start date.
The EU’s environment council, made up of environment ministers from across the bloc, is meeting in Brussels to discuss ratification and are expected to agree on Europe’s adoption of the treaty.
Once the European Parliament has voted for it, the EU could then ratify the deal in early October, allowing the Paris Agreement to come into force by the time countries meet in Morocco in
November for the next annual round of climate talks.
EU countries will also each ratify the deal individually, with the UK expected to do so before the end of the year.
India, which under the terms of the treaty represents around 4% of the world’s emissions, is set to ratify the Paris Agreement on the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth on Sunday.
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