Historic Climatic Change Accord

Just now on the 22nd day of April 2016 the world celebrated its day with much fun and fanfare. The day also marked an important event in the history of the world that about 171 countries have ratified International Climatic Change Convention signed in Paris in December 2015, in which the world countries have accepted to curtail global warming. During these talks, the world leaders have agreed to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, with developed countries providing $100 billion of public and private finance to help developing countries by 2020.

The event of signing is organized in the United Nations headquarters in the presence of the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Bank Ki Moon, who remarked that "Paris will shape the lives of all future generations in a profound way, it is their future that is at stake. He further stated that the planet was experiencing record temperatures. We are in a race against time. I urge all countries to join the agreement at the national level. Today we are signing a new covenant for the future.

The signing is certainly a big success story for the United Nations as in the record time of five months it has convinced around 171 odd countries to ratify the agreement which ranges from developed to developing one. Our country too ratified the agreement and the event is attended by our environmental minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar, who signed the agreement on behalf of our country stated that entry into force of the agreement is triumph of collective wisdom, the agreement explicitly highlights the benefits of sustainable lifestyle and consumption and he warned that the extravagant lifestyle of some countries would render the planet unsustainable. “Climate justice is justice to the poorer sections, the four billion poor of the world and justice for the developing world. We have to chalk out our action plan to implement the Paris agreement,” focusing on climate justice and sustainability.

In reality, the United States and China both countries put together have causing emission of around 38% of total world emissions and on another side, the European Union twenty-eight member states have been releasing around 10% of emissions which both put together constitute around fifty percent of total emissions in the world. These countries have accepted to cut their emissions by 55% by 2020 which is a great achievement of this convention.

The Paris Agreement mandates that developed countries to raise finances worth $100 billion per year as by 2020, to help developing nations in both mitigation and adaptation activities while other nations are encouraged to provide funding voluntarily. However, these developed countries have mainly responsible for present day conditions prevailing in the world those are an accumulation of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere which is resulting in disastrous climate events such as droughts, floods, El Nino effects and extinctions etc.

In years to come we can see implementation of this convention by the member states, but there is alarming news is coming from the United States that its Republican presidential runners Mr. Donald Trump and Mr. Ted Cruz have openly defied the Paris Convention saying it would halt its industrial progress and if they comes into the power they would see that the United States would come out of it.

There is a quick reaction came from the Mr. Barack Obama president of the United States saying that Paris as an agreement has such broad acceptance and support around the world from countries of every stripe and region and Paris itself was seen as such a landmark - hard-fought, hard-won - deal that for the United Sates to turn around and if we shall withdraw from Paris it would inevitably give the country into a diplomatic black eye,” The United States already committed a blunder mistake by withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol, this is done during reign of Mr. George Bush and this action is even openly criticized by its allies in the western hemisphere.

Whatever may be the stand of the United States, the coming into force of the Paris Climatic Convention is ultimate success of the United Nations Environmental Agency and number of non-governmental organizations who are vehemently advocating for the world with sustainable development and lifestyles. They have shown the world that they are concerned about the future planet earth. As ordinary citizens of the world, we have to salute persons or organizations who are behind the negotiations for early ratification of much debated and controversial convention, though the convention actually comes into force from five years from now.

By Dr. Jetling Yellosa

The author is Associate Professor of Law, Telangana University, Nizamabad