<p>The signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by 175 countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York, appropriately on Earth Day, was a historic event. The importance attached to the agreement is seen from the fact that it was a record for a one-day signing of an international agreement and as many as 60 heads of state or government personally signed the document. The ceremony came 4 months after the hard-won Paris deal which culminated decades of negotiations, through setbacks and failures, for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The deal sets the goal for global warming “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and further to 1.5 degrees. It proposes elimination of the use of coal, oil and gas and to replace fossil fuels by clean and renewable sources. It also imposes financial responsibilities on the rich world to help the developing countries manage the transition.<br /><br />After the signing of the agreement, the real challenge lies in its implementation. It is set to be enforced from 2020 but is likely to come into force earlier. As many as 55 countries have to ratify the accord for that. Fifteen island countries have already ratified it. Major countries like the 28-nation European Union, China and India may ratify the deal at an early date. The US is planning a ratification process which a future administration will find difficult to nullify. The urgency to bring the deal into force is already clear with the world increasingly experiencing the dreadful impact of weather changes. Last year was the warmest year in human history and last month the hottest. The strongest ever hurricane was recorded this year, ice caps and glaciers are melting at a faster pace, rain patterns are changing, droughts are more frequent, water is becoming scarce and air is getting more polluted. Even before the agreement is to come into effect, there is a case for negotiating a stronger agreement. <br /><br />The hope is that all countries will take their commitments seriously and make a success of the agreement by enforcing it fully in letter and spirit. As for India, it has laid out an elaborate strategy to reduce the use of fossil fuels and increase the use of clean energy. The plans have to be closely monitored for implementation and the deadlines have to be kept. If major polluters like the US, the EU, China and India enforce the agreement well, it will be a success. There is no choice because, as UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said, we are in a race against time. Again, as he said, the agreement is a covenant for the future.</p>
<p>The signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by 175 countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York, appropriately on Earth Day, was a historic event. The importance attached to the agreement is seen from the fact that it was a record for a one-day signing of an international agreement and as many as 60 heads of state or government personally signed the document. The ceremony came 4 months after the hard-won Paris deal which culminated decades of negotiations, through setbacks and failures, for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The deal sets the goal for global warming “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and further to 1.5 degrees. It proposes elimination of the use of coal, oil and gas and to replace fossil fuels by clean and renewable sources. It also imposes financial responsibilities on the rich world to help the developing countries manage the transition.<br /><br />After the signing of the agreement, the real challenge lies in its implementation. It is set to be enforced from 2020 but is likely to come into force earlier. As many as 55 countries have to ratify the accord for that. Fifteen island countries have already ratified it. Major countries like the 28-nation European Union, China and India may ratify the deal at an early date. The US is planning a ratification process which a future administration will find difficult to nullify. The urgency to bring the deal into force is already clear with the world increasingly experiencing the dreadful impact of weather changes. Last year was the warmest year in human history and last month the hottest. The strongest ever hurricane was recorded this year, ice caps and glaciers are melting at a faster pace, rain patterns are changing, droughts are more frequent, water is becoming scarce and air is getting more polluted. Even before the agreement is to come into effect, there is a case for negotiating a stronger agreement. <br /><br />The hope is that all countries will take their commitments seriously and make a success of the agreement by enforcing it fully in letter and spirit. As for India, it has laid out an elaborate strategy to reduce the use of fossil fuels and increase the use of clean energy. The plans have to be closely monitored for implementation and the deadlines have to be kept. If major polluters like the US, the EU, China and India enforce the agreement well, it will be a success. There is no choice because, as UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said, we are in a race against time. Again, as he said, the agreement is a covenant for the future.</p>
