China and the United States have formally ratified the Paris agreement on climate change aimed at cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The two countries, the largest emitters, will pave the way for other countries to ratify it too and may help put the agreement into force before the end of the year.
The Paris agreement was signed by nearly 200 countries in December 2015, in an attempt to cut GHG emissions and to keep global temperature increases "well below" 2°C. To enter into force, the agreement has to be ratified by 55 countries covering at least 55% of global GHG emissions. Before China and the United States, 23 countries had ratified the treaty but they only accounted for 1.1% of total emissions. China accounts for more than 20% of global emissions, followed by the United States with 17.9%. India, which is expected to ratify the pact by the end of the year, accounts for 4.1% of emissions. Russia (7.5% of global GHG emissions) still has to ratify it, along with the European Union, as some European coal producers are reluctant to ratify it.
In the United States, the Paris agreement is being challenged by the Republican Party Platform that questions the legality of the executive order used to ratify the deal. In addition, domestic GHG cutting measures such as the federal Clean Power Plan aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from the power sector are challenged in court (27 US states trying to block the act).
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