Bahrain signs historic Paris Agreement on World Earth Day

United Nations : Boosting hopes of quick action on combatting global warming, Bahrain joined many countries of the world in signing the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change yesterday on World Earth Day. His Majesty the King’s Personal Representative HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa signed the agreement at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Meanwhile, China and the United States, the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters, also signed the Paris climate deal at a UN ceremony attended by a record 175 countries. French President Francois Hollande was the first leader to put his signature to the accord. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry came to the podium cradling one of his granddaughters in his arms and triggered warm applause from delegates as he signed the historic deal. 

It was the largest ever one-day signing of an international agreement, marking a first step toward binding countries to the promises they made to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is a moment in history,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “Today you are signing a new covenant with the future.” 

Held on Earth Day, the ceremony comes four months after the hard-won deal was clinched in Paris after years of tough bargaining. 

Together the signatories account for 93 per cent of global greenhouse gas, according to calculations by World Resource Institute.

Hollande called on governments to quickly ratify the Paris deal and singled out the European Union, saying the 28-nation bloc should “lead by example” and give final approval before the end of the year.

The Paris Agreement will come into force as soon as 55 countries responsible for 55 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases have ratified it.

The target date for the agreement to begin is 2020, but momentum is building to ensure the accord enters into force much earlier. The signing ceremony was seen as a triumph for Ban, who pushed for the deal throughout his tenure and has listed the agreement in Paris as one of his proudest moments as UN chief.