India signs Paris climate agreement at UN

India has signed the historic Paris climate agreement at United Nations in New York along with more than 170 nations, marking a significant step to combat global warming. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar signed the agreement in the UN General Assembly hall at a high-level ceremony hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last night. The ceremony was attended by heads of governments, foreign ministers, corporate leaders and artists from across the world.

In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. In his message on the day, UN



Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Paris accord, in conjunction with the Agenda for Sustainable Development, holds the power to transform the world. While noting that the countries are signing a new covenant with the future, Ban cautioned that the world is in a race against time.

The signing is the first step toward ensuring that the agreement comes into force as soon as possible. After the signing, countries must take the further national step of accepting or ratifying the agreement. The agreement can enter into force 30 days after at least 55 Parties to the UNFCCC, accounting for at least 55 per cent of global emissions, ratify the agreement.