Paris Agreement Enters Into Force

The Paris Agreement to combat climate change went into force on Friday—a landmark that the United Nations says signals the beginning of a new chapter for humankind and demonstrates that countries are serious about addressing global warming.

The 2015 Paris Agreement was agreed last December by almost 200 countries and has been described as the most complex global treaty since the Marrakesh (trade) Agreement, signed in 1994.

The Paris accord passed a threshold on October 5 of 55 nations accounting for more than 55% of greenhouse gas emissions, allowing it to come into force 30 days later, Reuters reported.

Under the agreement, all governments that have ratified the accord, which includes the US, China, India and the EU, now carry an obligation to hold global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. That is what scientists regard as the limit of safety, beyond which climate change is likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.

So far, 96 countries, accounting for just over two-thirds of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, have formally joined the accord. Iran has not yet ratified the Paris Agreement but is expected to do so.