The European Union’s Environment Ministers agreed on Friday to fast-track the ratification of the Paris climate agreement as a bloc, a move which could bring the deal into effect before the end of November.
The Paris agreement, which binds signatories to various measures designed to keep global warming down to a minimum, will officially come into effect 30 days after at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions have all formally ratified. To date, following the importance ratification of China and the US, a total of 61 countries representing around 48% of emissions have all ratified.
The EU’s 28 member states are collectively responsible for around 12% of the world’s emissions and so their ratification as a bloc would kick start the formal coming into effect of the agreement.
The decision made by the EU’s Environment Ministers was reached at a summit in Brussels, and still needs to go through the European Parliament, but is expected to have done so by the end of next week.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has expressed his support.
He said: “I am happy to see that today the Member States decided to make history together and bring closer the entry into force of the first ever universally binding climate change agreement.
“We must and we can hand over to future generations a world that is more stable, a healthier planet, fairer societies and more prosperous economies. This is not a dream. This is a reality and it is within our reach. Today we are closer to it.”
The EU Climate Change Commissioner also spoke proudly of the decision, saying the EU had gone against the odds and proved wrong the naysayers who had criticised the organisation’s inability to pass decisions quickly and efficiently.
Miguel Aria Canete said: They said Europe is too complicated to agree quickly. They said we had too many hoops to jump through. They said we were all talk. Today’s decision shows what Europe is all about: unity and solidarity as Member States take a European approach, just as we did in Paris. We are reaching a critical period for decisive climate action. And when the going gets tough, Europe gets going.”
Separately, India have also announced their intention to ratify the Paris Agreement this Sunday, 2nd October, on the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Ghandi.
Should the EU and India’s ratification go through on time, the agreement should formally come into effect before the next COP22 meeting in Marrakech in late November.
