Global leaders, senior ministers and key figures in climate diplomacy are reaffirming their commitment to the 2015 Paris agreement. It comes as US President Donald Trump has issued an order for the country to abandon the pact.
The agreement calls for serious actions to keep global heating under 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Hopes of meeting the target are fast receding as efforts needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase clean energy output are falling short.
Through Trump’s order, the US has joined only a handful of countries such as Libya, Iran and Yemen in rejecting the 2015 Paris agreement. The US has long been a major source of carbon emissions. But its significance has diminished as developing countries increase their share.
