31 Countries Join Paris Agreement, Could Come into Force by End of Year

September 23, 2016
Katherine Cunningham
News Summary
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Credit: UNFCCC
The Guardian (9/21) said 31 nations, including Brazil, formally joined the Paris Agreement at a special event hosted by Ban Ki-moon at the U.N. General Assembly. A total of 60 countries, representing 48 percent of global emissions, have now ratified the climate accord. 
 
An U.N. press release (9/21) listed the 31 countries that joined the accord and noted that another 14 countries, representing 12.6 percent of global emissions, intend to join in 2016. 
 
Bloomberg (9/16) said the E.U. may be able to ratify the Paris Agreement by early October. 
 
The New York Times (9/19) reported that airline carrier JetBlue agreed to buy ten-years’ worth of biofuels as an alternative fuel source in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
The Christian Science Monitor (9/20) said Apple and Bank of America joined RE100, a global initiative of influential businesses committed to 100 percent renewable energy, during Climate Week NYC 2016. 
 
AP (9/15) reported that summer Arctic sea ice shrank to its second lowest level on record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. 
 
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Katherine serves as the social media manager, content entry and work flow coordinator for Climatelinks. She assists with research and writing, such as the weekly news summaries. Katherine has a Bachelor's degree in International Relations with a focus on environmental resources. She previously worked at Americans for Peace Now, a non-profit dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Katherine is committed to helping solve the climate crisis and is excited to apply her skills on the Climatelinks team.