Paris climate pact set to enter force after EU greenlight
BRUSSELS — The landmark Paris climate change pact is poised to enter into force around the world after European Union lawmakers endorsed the agreement.
In the presence of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the lawmakers voted Tuesday by 610 to 38 with 31 abstentions for the 28 EU nations to simultaneously ratify the agreement to limit global warming.
The deal cannot take effect until 55 countries, accounting for at least 55 per cent of global emissions, have adopted it. Sixty-two countries had done so as of Tuesday but they accounted only for about 52 per cent of emissions. On Wednesday, New Zealand became the 63rd nation to ratify the Paris accord.
The EU’s fast-track ratification takes the Paris Agreement past the 55 per cent threshold. The handover to the U.N. of a legal document formally doing that is expected to happen by Friday.