COP21 | UN Climate Change Flickr
U.N. Says 130 Nations to Sign Paris Climate Deal; World Bank Boosts Climate Spending
The Hill (4/8) covered a U.N. announcement saying more than 130 countries have committed to sign the Paris Climate Agreement at a kickoff ceremony in New York on April 22, the first day the agreement opens for signatures.
The U.N. (4/7) said in a statement, “A country’s signature on the agreement initiates the critical domestic process, on which depends its final entry into force.”
Reuters (4/10) said many nations are pushing for swift ratification of the Paris Agreement, hoping to lock it in place for four years.
Bloomberg (4/11) quoted Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UNFCCC, predicting the Paris Agreement will come into effect by 2018, two years earlier than originally planned.
AP (4/7) reported that the World Bank released a new Climate Change Action Plan, which boosts spending to help developed nations meet goals they set in Paris.
The Guardian (4/7) also covered the Bank’s new plan, saying climate spending will account for 28 percent of the Bank’s investments and that all future projects will be screened for climate change risks.
The World Bank (4/6) also released a Forest Action Plan to support development and climate goals.
A New York Times analysis (4/9) said a third of the world’s coral reefs are experiencing mass bleaching due to heat stress from multiple weather events, including El Nino and warmer global temperatures. The Times noted this is the third global mass bleaching on record and that an estimated 30 million small-scale fishermen and women depend on reefs for their livelihoods.
