What Countries Are Signed up to the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is a global effort to combat climate change, by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement was adopted by 196 parties in Paris on December 12, 2015, and entered into force on November 4, 2016.

So, which countries have signed up to the Paris Agreement? Currently, there are 195 countries that have ratified the agreement. This includes 190 out of the 197 UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) member countries, as well as the European Union.

The United States, which had joined the Paris Agreement in 2016, withdrew from the agreement in 2020 under the Trump administration. However, on his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement, and the United States officially became a party to the agreement on February 19, 2021.

Syria and Nicaragua were the only two countries that had not originally signed the agreement. However, Nicaragua signed the agreement in 2017, leaving Syria as the only country yet to sign up.

It is important to note that being a party to the Paris Agreement is not only a political commitment but also a legal one. Countries that have joined the agreement are required to submit their own climate action plans every five years, report on their progress, and work towards achieving their targets.

The Paris Agreement has been hailed as a significant step towards addressing climate change on a global scale, but more needs to be done to ensure that the world stays on track to meet its targets. It is encouraging to see so many countries committing to taking action and working towards a more sustainable future.