4 November is a historic date in the fight against climate change: the Paris Agreement enters into force. Now it is up to politicians to send strong signals on reducing CO2 emissions.
Today, 4 November 2016, the Paris Agreement enters into force. The treaty that, for the first time, unites all the world's nations in a shared commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adopt a strategy for adapting to climate change. A collective, global effort aimed at keeping the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels, with an attempt, where possible, not to exceed even the 1.5-degree threshold.
To date, 94 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement, with the United States, China, India and the European Union leading the way. A historic event because, for the first time, all the states that contribute most to CO2 production (the principal greenhouse gas) have made a formal commitment to drastically reduce their emissions. Remarkable, too, because it comes into force less than a year after COP 21, last year's conference in Paris.
"A historic turning point in the fight against climate change, a necessary choice to save the future but also to relaunch our economy and our society along greener lines," says Ermete Realacci, chairman of the Environment Committee in the Chamber of Deputies. "The COP 22 meeting in Morocco is an important opportunity to set commitments commensurate with the shared objective of keeping global warming well below the critical threshold of 2 degrees by the end of the century. It is a challenge that can be won."
COP 22 will be held from 7 to 18 November in Marrakech, Morocco — the first opportunity for the governments that have ratified the Paris Agreement to press ahead with their commitments. This meeting is expected to give concrete follow-up to the pledges on emissions reductions. With the Marrakech conference in mind, WWF Italia has produced a study on policies and measures to accelerate the energy transition and phase out the use of coal in the electricity sector.
"Coal is," the organisation writes in a statement, "the fuel with the highest CO2 emissions in electricity generation. For every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from coal, CO2 emissions amount to 870 grams, compared with 370 grams for natural gas and zero emissions from renewable sources. It is clear that the use of coal is not compatible with the environmental objectives of containing climate change, and it is therefore necessary to map out an exit route from the use of this fossil fuel that promotes a fair transition of our energy markets."
To mark the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, the UNFCCC and Coalizione Clima are calling on everyone to join in on social media to celebrate this landmark event. It will be possible, for example, to mark the occasion through websites, blogs, infographics or a simple social media post, using the hashtag #ParisAgreement. In addition, in recognition of the mutually reinforcing role and support of the sustainable development goals, the hashtags #GlobalGoals, #COP22 and #ClimateAction can also be added.