North Korea’s ratification of the Paris Agreement has edged the ticker of greenhouse gas emissions represented by nations that have formally joined the accord over 1 percent of global totals. The totalitarian state represents .23 percent of global GHG emissions and on Monday became the 22nd nation to submit its ratification document to the United Nations.
The Paris Agreement on climate change will enter into force 30 days after ratification by 55 nations representing 55 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. The process has been slow since the deal was approved in December 2015, with several small nations representing extremely small amounts of GHG emissions ratifying in the last several months. North Korea is the No. 2 emitter to ratify thus far coming in behind Cameroon at .45 percent, which ratified the agreement late last week.
The total emissions represented by the nations that have ratified the agreement to date is 1.08 percent.
While isolated internationally, North Korea has been an active participant in the Paris Agreement process, attending the negotiations in December and signing the agreement on the first day possible. The nation was also a party to the Kyoto Protocol, though as a developing nation it was not required to make any emissions reductions under that accord.
Entry into force of the Paris Agreement is a three-step process requiring parties to adopt, then sign, and then ratify the accord. Nearly 200 nations in December adopted the deal at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. More than 175 countries went on to sign the agreement in April in New York, and now nations have begun the process of ratification.
The world’s top two emitters, China and the United States, have committed to ratifying the agreement by the end of the year. India, the world’s No. 3 emitter, has indicated it will work toward that goal as well. The inclusion of these three emitters, representing 20.09 percent, 17.89 percent, and 4.1 percent of global emissions, respectively, would bring the ticker to 43.16 percent.
Canada, Mexico, Iceland, and Brazil have also either offered solid commitments to join by the end of the year, or to at least work diligently to that end. The inclusion of those nations would bring the total to 43.9 percent.
The U.N. recently announced it will host a special event on Sept. 21 at its headquarters in New York to give nations an opportunity to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession to the Paris Agreement.
