On 22 April 172 countries signed the Climate Agreement adopted in Paris by the 196 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as (COP21) last December.
At the signature ceremony H.E. Mr. János Áder, President of Hungary called for keeping the momentum and steadfast progress towards implementation.
The next critical step for international community is to ensure that the landmark Agreement, which commits to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius, enters into force as soon as possible. It will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.
In his statement, President Áder underscored the need to keep the momentum gained in Paris, and achieved in New York at the signature ceremony to accelerate progress towards implementation. To this end, the President of Hungary has made three proposals. He appealed to the 10 biggest emitters to start consultations at the earliest to reduce their emissions at a faster pace than agreed. The President appealed for finishing negotiations on the aviation related emissions and for starting negotiations on shipping related emissions at the earliest, to address areas the Paris Agreement did not cover. President Áder also proposed that the G20 countries, with the support of OECD accelerate research into finding as soon as possible efficient, safe, cost effective and sustainable forms of energy storage.
On the same day, President Áder also had bilateral meetings with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States of America to discuss SDG implementation and climate action.
