Georgia signs historic Paris climate deal

Georgia signed a historic Paris climate deal alongside 170 other nations at a high-level ceremony at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York yesterday.

The Paris climate accord is a historic agreement to combat climate change and unleash actions and investment towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future, which was agreed by 195 nations in Paris last December.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited all world leaders to a signing ceremony of the agreement yesterday.

The signing event coincided with the UN observance of International Earth Day.

Georgia’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection Gigla Agulashvili was among the world leaders to voluntarily sign the important deal.

At the event Agulashvili spoke about what Georgia had done in recent years to protect the environment and expressed his country’s readiness to join international efforts to combat climate change.

Some 171 countries inked the deal yesterday, a record number for a new international treaty.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry holds his granddaughter as he signs the Paris Agreement on climate change, Friday, April 22, 2016 at UN headquarters. Photo by AP.

About 15 nations, mainly small island states, have already ratified the agreement, but dozens of other countries were required to take this second step before the pact came into force.

The Paris Agreement aims to keep global temperatures fron rising above rise 2°C and to make efforts to limit it to 1.5°C (compared to pre-industrial levels). To meet this target countries have an obligation to take measures to reduce their emissions.

There will be a review process every five years to take stock and increase ambition over time. The progress of countries in their commitments will be tracked to ensure transparency and accountability. The need for all countries to adapt to climate change by preparing and reinforcing their resilience is also acknowledged.

Agulashvili said Georgia’s share of global greenhouse gas emissions was only 0.03 percent and although this was relatively small, he pledged the country would continue investing in developing low-carbon technologies.