On 5 October, the EU, Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia deposited their instruments of ratification of Paris Climate Agreement, thereby triggering its entry into force on 4 November 2016.
The landmark Accord, which commits to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius, enters into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification with the Secretary-General.
With the act of deposition by the EU and EU Member States all the requirements for the Agreement’s entry into force are now satisfied, as enough countries have signed onto the landmark accord to bring it to the emissions threshold that will trigger its implementation.
Today, Bolivia, Canada, and Nepal also deposited their instruments of ratification, and earlier this week, New Zealand and India signed onto the Agreement, following the 31 countries which joined at a special event at the UN on 21 September during the UN General Assembly’s general debate. Earlier that month, the world’s two largest emitters, China and the United States, joined the Agreement.
The Agreement will now enter into force in time for the Climate Conference (COP 22) in Morocco in November, where countries will convene the first Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement. Countries that have not yet joined may participate as observers.
