Leaders and diplomats from more than 160 countries are gathering at the United Nations’ New York headquarters on April 22 to sign the Paris Agreement—the landmark climate deal hammered out at the culmination of last year’s talks.
The ceremony marks the start of a year-long opportunity for countries to sign the agreement, although most of the world will sign on the opening day. But the process doesn’t end there—nations will still need to ratify the treaty domestically. Only when at least 55 countries, accounting for at least 55% of global greenhouse emissions, have done so will the Paris deal become international law.
Emil Jeyaratnam is a multimedia editor at The Conversation. James Whitmore and Michael Hopkin are environment & energy editors at The Conversation. This article was originally published on The Conversation.
