Minister of Environment and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim urges rich countries to rapidly ratify Paris climate agreement.
He told the Guardian that there was “no time to waste”, in ratifying the agreement that was reached more than six months ago, and that it should be a matter of urgency for industrialised countries.
He said so far, almost the only countries to have passed the accord into law are the small islands most at risk from rising sea levels, and other smaller developing nations.
The Environment Minister added that France became the first large industrialised nation to ratify the Paris agreement only earlier this month, although a ceremony was held in New York in April at which countries were supposed to affirm their commitment to the international agreement.
Minister Thoriq said that at Paris, nearly 200 countries agreed to hold global warming to no more than Two Degrees above pre-industrial levels. Most of the world’s biggest economies came forward with their own domestically-binding targets for cutting carbon in the next decade or longer.
Minister Thoriq further said that for the poorest nations, likely to be most affected by climate change, the ratification is an urgent matter.