Union Cabinet approves ratification of the Paris Agreement

September 29, 2016

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to ratify the Paris Agreement (on Climate Change) on Gandhi Jayanti i.e. on 2nd October 2016.
The Paris Agreement was adopted by 185 nations in December 2015. India had signed the agreement in New York in April 2016. So far, 191 countries have signed the agreement.
When the agreement will come in force?

The Paris treaty on Climate Change will come into force when 55 countries contributing to 55 % of total global emission ratify the agreement.
So far, 61 countries have deposited their instruments of ratification, approval or acceptance accounting in total for 47.79% of the total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
With the gathering momentum and willingness expressed by several other countries it is expected that the Agreement will enter into force soon.

Significance of India’s Ratification

India’s decision to ratify the agreement will take the number of cumulative level of emission of countries that have ratified the agreement so far to 51.89%.
With its decision, India will be one of the key countries that will be instrumental in bringing the Paris Agreement into force.
Underlines the important role played by India’s responsive leadership in the community of nations committed to global cause of climate justice and environmental protection.

Paris Agreement gives thrust to the global actions to address climate change and pertains to post-2020 climate actions. In the pre-2020 period, developed countries are to act as per Kyoto Protocol and some developing countries have taken voluntary pledges.