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[GK86]

Link.

World leaders from 175 countries signed the historic Paris climate accord Friday, using Earth Day as a backdrop for the ceremonial inking of a long-fought deal that aims to slow the rise of harmful greenhouse gases.

The non-binding treaty, approved in Paris in December after years of U.N. climate negotiations, aims to slow the rise of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, blamed for putting Earth on a dangerous warming path.

The deal sets a target of limiting global warming by 2100 to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F), as compared to pre-industrial levels. To accomplish that, each nation sets its own target for reducing emissions and updates that mark each year.

Signing the accord is only one step in the process. The leaders must now go back to their home countries' governments to ratify and approve the agreement, which could take months or years. The deal goes into effect once 55 countries representing at least 55% of global emissions formally join.

The U.S. and China, which together account for nearly 40% of global emissions, said they intend to formally join the agreement this year, AP reported. Both nations signed the document Friday.

Last year was the planet's hottest on record, and 2016 is already on path to surpass it, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.

Over the past winter, the peak in Arctic sea ice was the lowest since records began 37 years ago, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

From CNN:

Wait, didn't everyone agree on this already?

Yes, kind of. At the COP21 U.N. climate summit in Paris, 195 countries agreed to adopt the Paris Agreement. On December 12, they negotiated the text of the document and agreed to adopt it without objection. That was a historic moment and is seen as the major decision point.

Other such conferences have unraveled. But the agreement isn't law yet. It must be signed and ratified by at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When countries sign the agreement on Friday, they are signaling their intent to ratify the document as soon as possible.

So Friday's signing ceremony is mostly symbolic, but it will indicate whether enthusiasm for the deal has continued in the months since COP21. Some 155 countries, from Somalia to Singapore, are expected to sign on Friday.

Is this all diplomacy, or are countries doing anything?

The Paris Agreement sets in place a process for countries to cut emissions, report on their progress and be held responsible to each other. It's seen as a critical first step -- and a revolutionary turning point. But "the big challenge is we have to turn these words that are on paper into actual action on the ground," said Flynn.

There are signs that's happening already -- and it's being called the "Paris effect," a reference to the fact that countries now know they're going to be held accountable for emissions cuts and are now trying to figure out how to get to zero emissions sometime this century. Since December, for example, India approved six solar projects; Vietnam has said it will stop building coal plants; China announced a five-year plan that set stricter climate targets; the United States halted new coal leases on federal land; JP Morgan said it would stop financing new coal mines; and Saudi Arabia said it won't be an oil state within 20 years.

Countries will be asked to submit updates on how they plan to cut emissions in 2018.

And then they will be asked to come up with new plans in 2020.

What has to happen for countries to ratify the Paris Agreement?

After countries sign the Paris Agreement they still have to ratify if. Each country has its own national process for doing so. The Obama administration likely will try to ratify the agreement by executive action, without the consent of U.S. Congress, where many Republican lawmakers are skeptical of climate science. (Climate change is real and humans are causing it; 97% of climate scientists agree on this point). Some countries, mostly small island states, which fear they won't exist if the terms of the Paris Agreement aren't met, because melting ice could cause seas to rise and flood waters to overtake their land, are prepared to ratify the agreement on Friday. Other countries have processes that may last many months. The European Union, for example, is likely to ratify the agreement only after each of its member states has done so.

How soon could the Paris Agreement become law?

The deadline for countries to sign the Paris Agreement is April 21, 2017. That's one year from Friday. Again, that indicates their intent to ratify the agreement. They still have to do so. The text of the agreement says it should become law in 2020, said Cassie Flynn, climate change adviser for the U.N. Development Program. It's possible it could become official in 2018, she told me, which would be ahead of schedule.

What happens if the United States elects a climate skeptic?

The United States is expected to try to ratify the Paris Agreement before President Barack Obama leaves office in January. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner to succeed him, supports the Paris Agreement.

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, the leading Republicans, doubt climate change is real and could try to pull the country out of this international process. If the U.S. already has ratified this treaty, however, it would be difficult, and the formal process could take a few years. Short of that, a Republican president could try to ignore the Paris Agreement without actually pulling out of it.

Among the issues still to be determined is what happens to countries who default on their commitments to cut pollution, said Flynn, the U.N. climate change adviser.
Trump and Cruz are both known for their maverick styles, but some observers say it would be politically costly on the international stage for either of them to abandon this climate accord.

"This time, you (would) have to blow off the whole rest of the world," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and a senior adviser to the U.N. "And I don't think (the United States would) find another partner to do that. You'd have to just be the renegade state."

 

[Alexlf]

Neat. Hope it ends up being more than lip service.

 

[AstroNut325]

Why is it non-binding?

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Why is it non-binding?

If America signed it then I'm not sure who exactly could enforce it if we were to fail to oblige it.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Man, I don't think I could even name 175 countries.

Umm...Canada, Russia. USA, obvs. Mexico...uh, Germany...I think there's a Sokovia...Oh, Alaska! Duh. Africa, too. That's a big one. China. South America. Antarctica. How many is that? That's probably 175.

 

[Moppeh]

It's good to see progress in this matter and I hope all the people I know who are bitching about Canada's economy can realize that we need to plan for the future instead of relying on oil.

 

[gatormatt]

I have a hard time believing our (U.S.) Republican controlled Congress will ratify and approve this agreement.

 

[Concept17]

It's a good time to be Elon Musk.

 

[GK86]

I have a hard time believing our (U.S.) Republican controlled Congress will ratify and approve this agreement.

From the CNN link:

The Obama administration likely will try to ratify the agreement by executive action, without the consent of U.S. Congress, where many Republican lawmakers are skeptical of climate science.

 

[Macadinho94]

What countries didn't sign it?