Recently, multiple EU nations have agreed to the Paris Climate Change Pact, making way for the agreement to take full effect sometime in November. An estimated 170 world leaders have signed the agreement, and sixty-two parties have ratified it (1). So, with more and more countries agreeing to this pact, what does it mean for the future of Earth and our species?

First, let’s discuss the topic of climate change itself. It is a very hot topic at the moment but a lot of people do tend to brush it off as something that is less important than most issues. Climate change is the, well, climate, altering because of the massive global release of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuels (2). This all came about primarily at the start of the industrial revolution and continues to this day, and thus th legacy of the industrial revolution has been a one of technological triumphs which have lead to environmental suffering.

What the Climate Change Pact plans to do is to put a halt or at least limit the amount of carbon emissions entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The main goals of the agreement are to lower global temperature well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (3). There are also main points mentioning either halting or at least limiting greenhouse gas and fossil fuel emissions, while still maintaining a stable flow and growth of food production without going too overboard with spending (3).

This pact, if ratified by more nations, will become a historical moment in the modern and progressive society, seeing as it is the first ever international act against climate change. As of now, the pact is to take full effect with adaptation and finance in 2020 (2), and possibly even earlier, seeing that sixty-two nations have ratified it, making up 52% of the world’s greenhouse gas and fossil fuel emissions, which is very close to the goal of 55% (4).

Sources:

(1): http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09/30/eu-nations-approve-ratification-climate-change-pact.html

(2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change

(3): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement

(4): http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/eu-parliament-backs-paris-climate-deal-paving-way-to-come-into-force/ar-BBwYzP8?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Picture: http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2015/12/15/a-guide-to-understanding-the-paris-climate-accord-and-its-implications/