WWF Calls on 55 Countries to Accelerate Ratification of the Paris Agreement in the US by 2020

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Samantha Smith, head of the global climate and energy initiative at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), stated that the planet has just experienced its hottest eleven months on record, and if there is any chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius—a dangerous threshold for nature and the world's most vulnerable populations—all parties must act very swiftly. She added that while reaching a global climate agreement is a positive step, there is no time to waste, and more action is needed urgently. In its statement, WWF noted that the signing of the agreement that week was only the first step.

Under its entry-into-force rules, the Paris Agreement requires ratification at the national level by at least 55 countries, whose emissions together account for 55 percent of global emissions, before it can take effect. In New York, some countries will begin the ratification process, and WWF hopes others will follow suit so that the agreement can become a reality as soon as possible. Smith said that if the goal of limiting warming is to move beyond paper, leaders must come to New York with new commitments to action, covering areas such as promoting renewable energy, phasing out fossil fuels, protecting forests, and providing funding by 2020.

In its official statement, WWF called on world leaders in New York to set the tone for the upcoming meetings in Bonn, where delegations will reconvene next month to continue the unfinished agenda of the Paris climate conference (COP21). The organization hopes leaders will send a clear signal to negotiators and even provide guidance on the key elements needed to activate the Paris Agreement.

WWF believes that, to provide the necessary momentum for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, countries should commit to the following: launching more near-term emission reduction actions by 2020; demonstrating that the five-year review cycle helps raise ambition in the dialogue planned for 2018; resolving uncertainties in the agreement regarding how to conduct climate action fairly and equitably; and providing greater certainty in climate finance to ensure sufficient resources for the transition to a zero-carbon economy, while reducing or compensating for the unavoidable impacts of climate change.