US and China, strong climate partnership

US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, announced together on Saturday the ratification by their countries, the strongest economies and biggest polluters of the planet, of the Paris agreement on climate changes, concluded in December in the COP21. This decision will greatly accelerate the practice of this agreement, according to AFP and Reuters.

The two leaders met at the G20 summit in Hangzhou. They handed the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, the documents of ratification of the agreement to limit the global temperature increase to no more than 2 degrees Celsius.

“Over the last several years, we have effectively demonstrated that as the world’s two largest emitters and economies, if we can come together, we can help move the world forward on combating climate change,” said Brian Deese, a senior adviser to Obama, adding that the announcement brought the cooperation “full circle.”

China and the US are responsible together for almost 40% of total global emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. China, the biggest polluter, is responsible for just over 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions effect, while the US is responsible for 17.9%, Russia 7.5% and India 4.1%.

“Once the agreement enters into force, you can’t just pull back out,” says Nathaniel Keohane, vice president of global climate at the Environmental Defense Fund. “This is less about the U.S. ability to walk away, it’s about the U.S. showing leadership—that entry into force applies to everyone else too.”

Paris Agreement on the environment was signed by 180 countries, but after signing, each country in accordance with its internal regulations, must ratify it. It needs to be ratified by at least 55 countries to enter into force. So far the agreement has been ratified by only 24 countries, especially small island states and countries with economies that are responsible together for just 1.08% of total greenhouse gas according to data provided by UN, AFP notes.