175 states have committed to signing the agreement. Iraq has not given any indication whether it will be signing onto the international agreement.
Signing the accord on what is also a celebration of Earth Day, nations are committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit global warming.
The agreement was reached in Paris in December 2015. More than 165 governments attended a ceremony at the United Nations in New York Friday to sign the agreement in the largest single-day signing of any international accord.
States who do not sign the agreement today have a year to do so.
“We are in a race against time,” U.N. secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, addressing the meeting of leaders. “The era of consumption without consequences is over.”
The agreement will come into force once 55 countries representing 55% of global emissions formally join it. It is expected that will be accomplished well before the 2020 deadline.
Under the terms of the agreement, individual countries set targets to reduce carbon emissions. Targets must be renewed every five years but are not legally binding.
In addition to Iraq, other major oil producing nations of Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have also not indicated their intent to sign the agreement.
Iraq did submit a climate action plan to the UN conference in Paris where the agreement signed today was reached.
from Rudaw http://ift.tt/26kK1ih
via Defense News
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