India ratifies the Paris Agreement on climate change. The country’s permanent representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin (left), shakes hands with UN deputy secretary-General Jan Eliasson while General Assembly President Peter Thomson looks on in a ceremony held at the UN Headquarters on October 2, 2016. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider
UN: India, the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, on October 2, ratified the landmark Paris climate deal, giving a major boost to the deal which appeared tantalisingly close to enter into force by the end of this year.
Permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin handed over the Instrument of Ratification signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, to Santiago Villalpando, the head of the Treaties Division at the UN, at a special ceremony here attended by top UN officials and senior diplomats to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s 147th birth anniversary.
“Bringing the Paris Agreement on climate change ever closer to its entry into force, India today joined the new global accord at the UN Headquarters and became the 62nd country to deposit its legal instrument of ratification,” the world body said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded India’s “climate leadership”, saying India’s ratification of the Paris Climate Change agreement moves the world an “important step closer” toward achieving the goal of entering the landmark deal into force this year.
In his message for the International Day of Non-violence, marked every year on Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Ban said there is no better way to commemorate Gandhi and his legacy for people and the planet than with India submitting its instrument of ratification of the Paris agreement on climate change.
He called on all countries to complete their domestic processes for ratification and also strive in all activities to achieve progress through non-violence.
The UN chief said the commitment to sustainable living that Gandhi emphasised on is reflected in a “momentous way” as India is depositing its instrument of ratification to the Paris agreement on climate change.
“India keeps its promise. On Gandhiji’s birth anniversary, we deposit the instrument of ratification of Paris Agreement on climate change,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
With India stressing on the importance of climate justice, its goal will be that “climate justice ends are also served” once the treaty comes into force, Akbaruddin said.
The ratification by India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion, is expected to give momentum to the implementation of measures at the international level to control global warming by limiting greenhouse gases.
The ratification formalises pledges made by each country, including India, to take actions to curb or lower greenhouse gas emissions 2020 onward and try to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2° Celsius and to strive for 1.5° Celsius.
India, the world’s third biggest carbon emitter after China and the US which are responsible for around 40% of the global carbon emissions, accounts for 4.1% of global emissions.
Last month, the US and China had formally joined the Paris agreement, which was adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change last December in Paris.
(PTI)