Paris Agreement to be ratified

THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has today recommended that Australia ratify the Paris Agreement.

Committee Chair, Stuart Robert MP, says that the Agreement has received overwhelming support both internationally and here in Australia.

"The Paris Agreement has been welcomed as a positive step forward on an issue that is of global concern," Mr Robert said.

“Although Australia faces challenges as we transition to a low-carbon economy, there are also many opportunities. We have expertise in responding to extreme weather events which will be in demand worldwide. We also have a rich supply of the mineral resources needed for the manufacture and development of renewable technology. And, of course, we have abundant renewable power resources with our sun, wind and hydro power.”   

The Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December 2015 by 192 countries. It opened for signatures in New York on 22 April 2016, and received the required signatures from 55 countries covering 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions on 5 October 2016. The agreement came into force on 4 November 2016.

The aim of the Paris Agreement is to hold the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C and to attempt to limit the increase to 1.5°C. Australia’s commitment is to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels of greenhouse emissions by 2030.

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