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Norway has ratified the Paris Agreement

In addition to Norway, Somalia, Palestine and 15 smaller island states have so far ratified the Paris Agreement. All of these countries are responsible for only 0.18 percent of global emissions.

– We aim at joint implementation with the EU to achieve climate targets for 2030. It gives us a solid, binding and predictable European regulations to base ourselves on when we will carry out for our goal of 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, says the climate and Environment Minister Vidar Helgesen.

Paris agreement strengthens global cooperation on climate change and countries’ efforts to prevent dangerous impacts of climate change. It enters into force when at least 55 countries ratifies the agreement.

– Norway is a driving force for other countries to take step as quickly as possible, says Vidar Helgesen.

USA, China and Brazil are among the major emitting countries that are expected to ratify Paris agreement this year. Other major countries have also indicated that this year they will be part of the deal. 

Paris agreement

The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. An agreement on the language of the treaty was negotiated by representatives of 195 countries at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in Paris and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015. It was opened for signature on 22 April 2016 (Earth Day), and 177 UNFCCC members signed the treaty, 16 of which ratified it. It has not entered into force.

The aim of the convention is described in Article 2, “enhancing the implementation” of the UNFCCC through:

“(a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;

(b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production;

(c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.”

Countries furthermore aim to reach “global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible”.

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