The Netherlands has become the 156th county to formally ratify the Paris Agreement after it deposited its ‘instrument of ratification’ with the EU late last week, confirming its participation in the global climate accord.
The move leaves the Czech Republic as the only EU country still to formally ratify the Agreement, which promises to decarbonise the global economy by the end of the century and limit global warming to “well below” two degrees.
As an EU member, the Netherlands has delivered the same pledge as all other member states under the Agreement – setting a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the bloc by between 80 and 96 per cent by mid-century against 1990 levels.
The country was also an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement. Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders said at the time the move represented a “cardinal mistake” that felt like a “slap in the face” for those countries which negotiated the pact in good faith.
“I hope the US will now not further isolate itself,” Koenders added. “The clean energy transition must continue and the Netherlands, along with the rest of the world, will keep working towards to this goal.”
Source: businessgreen.com
