Vietnam signs historic Paris Climate Change Accord

The Paris pact, the first agreement requiring all countries to join the fight against global warming, contained over 175 signatures from the countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The signing ceremony broke a record number of signatures set by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982, when it welcomed 119 signatures.

“This agreement is a milestone in the world’s history of climate change response. This is the only way to save our Earth,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Vietnam’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha attended the event, showing the country’s strong commitment to participating in international efforts to response to climate change. “Climate change response is one of Vietnam’s urgent tasks. Vietnam commits to take a series of actions to cut eight per cent of greenhouse emissions by 2030,” Ha noted.

Under the agreement, countries are required to keep the rise in global temperatures “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times, while aiming for an even more ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. They are also asked to set national targets for reducing or reining in their greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Selwin Hart, a UN senior official, the Paris agreement will enter into force 30 days after the 55 countries, which are accountable for at least 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have completed the ratification process. On April 21, one day before the signing ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Vietnamese Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated at a UN workshop on the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that Vietnam has already made efforts to build foundations for sustainable and environmentally-friendly development growth. “SDGs have been included in our national development programmes for 2016-2020. One of the goals is to increase forest coverage to 40 per cent and rural clean water access to 90 per cent by 2020,” she added.

Pham Van Tan, deputy head of the Board of Vietnam’s Climate Change Negotiation Group, said “This brought more opportunities for countries which are under threat from climate change, such as Vietnam, to access greater international financial aids to thoroughly resolve climate change-related issues, including changing the development model toward a low-carbon economy and promoting the application of clean technologies.”