New York may be a concrete jungle, but on Earth Day 2016, it is playing a pivotal role in the global effort to limit further damage to the planet due to climate change.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is expected to be signed in New York by at least 150 world leaders on Earth Day 2016.
At least 150 world leaders are expected to sign the Paris Climate Agreement at the United Nations Headquarters in New York today. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a letter invited world leaders to sign the historic document starting today, in the hope that it would facilitate early ratification of the agreement and to encourage participating countries to act soon on the Paris agreement in their individual countries. The agreement will be ratified when signed by at least 55 countries, which together make up at least 55% of global greenhouse emissions. Each country will then need to adopt the agreement within their own legal systems.
The agreement was reached on 12 December 2015 in Paris, France, the culmination of COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. After over 20 years of U.N. negotiations, the agreement will be the first legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
The European Union and 185 nations were the participating parties in COP21. France served as a model country for delegates attending COP21 because it is one of the few developed countries in the world to decarbonize electricity production and fossil fuel energy while still providing a high standard of living. As of 2012, France generated over 90% of its electricity from zero carbon sources, including nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind.
More than 1 billion people in 192 countries are expected to participate in Earth Day activities today, including planting new trees, cleaning up communities, and taking public transportation instead of driving.
Au revoir!
Image of New York by Edsel Little, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.
References: “2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference,” Wikipedia, CCBY 3.0. http://www.ecowatch.com/2016/04/19/earth-day-paris-agreement. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/01/world-leaders-invited-to-paris-agreement-signing-ceremony-on-april-22.
