The Paris Agreement: Was it Ratified?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty signed by 196 countries in 2015 to address the global threat of climate change. The agreement`s main goal is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. But, was the Paris Agreement ratified?

Ratification is the process of formally approving a treaty, which involves the signing country reviewing and accepting its terms, and then incorporating them into their domestic laws and policies. Until a treaty is ratified, it is not legally binding.

The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris, France. On that same day, 195 countries, including the United States, committed to the agreement.

To take effect, the Paris Agreement needed 55 countries accounting for at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions to ratify it. The agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016, after it was ratified by 55 countries that accounted for 55.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

As of May 2021, 191 parties (190 countries and the European Union) have signed the Paris Agreement. Of those, 189 parties have ratified the treaty. The United States, the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind China, ratified the agreement on September 3, 2016, during the Obama administration.

However, on June 1, 2017, former President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The process of withdrawal took effect on November 4, 2020, the earliest possible date due to the treaty`s provisions. The United States rejoined the Paris Agreement on February 19, 2021, during the Biden administration.

To summarize, the Paris Agreement was ratified on November 4, 2016, and now has 189 parties that have ratified the treaty. Despite the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement, it has since rejoined under a new administration. The Paris Agreement is an essential step to combat global climate change, and its ratification is crucial to address this critical issue affecting the world.