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![The Chinese and US delegations meet in Hangzhou, Saturday. China and the US had promised to work diligently together to reach a climate control accord when Xi visited Washington last year [Xi]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/258353861_8-e1472926812219.jpg)
The Chinese and US delegations meet in Hangzhou, Saturday. China and the US had promised to work diligently together to reach a climate control accord when Xi visited Washington last year [Xi]
They also fulfilled the common vision – and promise – to combat climate change they agreed on last September.
Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping handed the signed documents to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who flew to China to witness the announcement.
Ban last week had praised the G20 agenda, saying: “This is the first time that the G20 leaders are gathering to discuss the Sustainable Development Goals and climate change, (and) how we implement them in parallel.”
China and the US are the world’s top two producers of man-made carbon emissions, accounting for 38 per cent of the world’s total emissions.
Their joint announcements on ratifying the Paris accords today showed that nations could put aside geopolitical differences to lower carbon emissions.
The landmark agreement reached last year in the French capital will go into effect if ratified by at least 55 countries representing 55 per cent of the world’s man-made emissions.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the US and China “demonstrated their continued, shared commitment to climate leadership” by formally joining the agreement.
Kerry said in a statement that when the US and China “come together to take action on climate, it moves the needle in a way that no two other nations can accomplish.”
He added, however, “it is essential for the Paris Agreement to enter into force as quickly as possible.”
Xi also said, “developed countries should honor their commitments and provide financial and technological support to developing countries and enhance their capability in climate actions.”
According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 23 nations had ratified the agreement before China and the U.S. but they collectively accounted for only 1.08 per cent of global emissions.
World leaders and representatives from 170 countries signed the non-binding Paris Climate Change accord in New York in April.
The Paris agreement on climate change was adopted with no objection by the 196 Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) hosted by France.
The Paris pact, which sets a target of limiting global warming by 2100 to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius by curbing greenhouse gas emissions, will not be a fully legally binding treaty.
The final Paris accord has agreed that rich nations need to maintain a $100 billion a year funding pledge beyond 2020, and use that figure as a “floor” for further support agreed by 2025.
There will be stock-taking of the pact in 2023, although countries like China will be allowed to extend that to 2030, as announced in the agreement. There will be further reviews every five years to “ratchet up” the measures adopted in 2015, if the need arises.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
