The Paris Agreement is a landmark international agreement that was adopted in 2015 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while also pursuing efforts to keep the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
One of the key aspects of the Paris Agreement is that it is a legally binding agreement, meaning that countries that have signed it are committed to meeting their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So, how many countries have signed the Paris Agreement?
As of May 2021, 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement. This includes all of the UNFCCC member states, as well as the Cook Islands, Niue, and the State of Palestine. Of these signatories, 189 have ratified the agreement, meaning that they have officially adopted it and are legally bound to its terms.
The only two countries that have signed but not ratified the Paris Agreement are the United States and Turkey. The US, under the presidency of Donald Trump, pulled out of the agreement in 2020, but President Joe Biden has since signed an executive order to rejoin it. Turkey, on the other hand, has not yet ratified the agreement due to concerns over financial support for developing countries.
It`s worth noting that while 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement, not all of them have committed to the same level of emissions reductions. Each country has submitted a nationally determined contribution (NDC), which sets out its climate targets and strategies. Some countries, such as the European Union, have pledged to reduce emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, while others have set more modest targets.
Overall, the fact that 191 countries have signed the Paris Agreement is a strong indication of global commitment to addressing the urgent issue of climate change. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that these commitments are met and that future generations can inherit a healthy planet.