On the occasion of the G20 meeting in Hangzhou the US and China announced the ratification of the Cop21 UN agreement of December last to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement needs to be ratified by 55 countries, representing 55% of world emissions, to become operational. The agreement has been so far ratified by 24 countries representing slightly more than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The two countries produce 38% of the man-made carbon dioxide emitted worldwide, therefore they contribute to making the day nearer, on which the UN agreement to limit global temperature increase less than 1.5 degrees becomes binding.
Barack Obama believes that this is the answer to all those who believed that such a strategic target was impossible to reach. Obama expressed his appreciation for the leadership shown by the US and China: many other countries “must formally ratify the agreement” in order to avoid further delays. The Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping expressed the hope that the Chinese-American example can be a boost for other countries to start taking significant actions in this direction.