The global accord to combat climate change agreed in Paris last year has officially been put into effect today.
It calls on nearly 200 countries to start executing plans to slash their greenhouse gas emissions.
The Agreement is undoubtedly a turning point in the history of common human endeavour, capturing the combined political, economic and social will of governments, cities, regions, citizens, business and investors to overcome the existential threat of unchecked climate change.
Its early entry into force is a clear political signal that all the nations of the world are devoted to decisive global action on climate change.
The Paris Agreement seeks to wean the world economy off fossil fuels in the second half of the century, limiting the rise in average world temperatures to “well below” two-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times.
The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that the average global concentration in the atmosphere of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, reached the symbolic and significant milestone of 400 parts per million for the first time in 2015 and broke new records in 2016.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries on Monday will convene in Marrakesh, Morocco for two weeks.
They will discuss the nuts and bolts of the Paris accord and the policies, technology and finance needed to ensure that the Paris goals be achieved.
