We welcome the signing of the Paris Climate deal on April 22. Actions not pledges are what are needed to combat climate change. Despite massive opposition at home, President Obama signed the deal through an executive decision bypassing Congress, and China has also put ink to paper. Hailed as a “new covenant with the future” by the UN chief, much work remains to be done. The agreement will only come into force when all 55 countries responsible for 55 percent of global greenhouse emissions ratify it. However, as things stand now, those countries that have become part of the deal account for the 93 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted annually.
With the two biggest polluters, i.e. China and the United States on board, we are hoping that others will join too, so that the deal can become operational as early as 2017. The push for quick ratification becomes all the more relevant as we have witnessed that the month of March has perhaps been one of the warmest in recent history and with the increasing propensity of natural disasters including floods, storms and droughts, the need to get a move on to seal the deal has been a top agenda for policymakers worldwide.
While the modalities for pollution control need to be worked out, it is evident that we can no longer afford to go on poisoning the earth’s environment indiscriminately. That the world is coming together for the sake of self preservation is good news. What we need now is movement to make the changes binding and hold polluters accountable for their actions.
Source: the daily star
