‘A global agreement to combat climate change will take force after support from European nations sent the accord across an important threshold, prompting US President Barack Obama to hail it as a “historic day” for protecting the planet.
‘European nations raised backing for the 2015 Paris Agreement to countries representing 56.75 per cent of world greenhouse gas emissions, above the 55 per cent needed for implementation, a United Nations website showed.
‘The deal will formally start in 30 days on November 4 – four days before the US presidential election in which Republican Donald Trump opposes the accord and Democrat Hillary Clinton strongly supports it. China and the United States joined up last month in a joint step by the world’s top emitters.
‘Obama called Wednesday “a historic day in the fight to protect our planet for future generations” and he told reporters on the White House Rose Garden: “If we follow through on the commitments that this Paris agreement embodies, history may well judge it as a turning point for our planet”.’ (AAP 6.10.16)