Rebecca Pow MP has today welcomed the news that the Prime Minister Theresa May has said the UK will begin the process of ratifying the Paris Climate Change agreement by the end of the year.  This is a crucial step in the drive to addressing the negative impacts of climate change, a subject Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow has spoken on many times in Parliament.

The Prime Minister made her announcement to the United Nations in New York stating that the UK will start domestic procedures to enable ratification forthwith, with the demand paper leading to this process being laid before Parliament after it returns from the conference recces next month.

The UK joins China, India and 53 other countries who have now ratified the agreement. The deal drives countries forward to limit global temperature rises to below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. The UK played a critical role in securing the initial Paris deal which will help avoid the worst impacts of climate change, vital for our long-term economic and global security.

The deal sets out the long-term goal of net zero emissions by the end of the century, showing that the world is committed to decarbonising. Progress will be assessed every five years and new, more ambitious commitments will have to be made. There will also be $100 billion mobilised from private and public sources for vulnerable nations in order to mitigate and adapt to the effect of climate change.

Rebecca said:

‘I am delighted that the UK has ratified the ground breaking Paris Climate Change Deal. It shows real commitment from this Government and the rest of the world to help tackle climate change. This is an extremely serious issue with very real, long term consequences for our natural environment and economic security. In a recent debate I praised the work of the Government thus far, but at the same time urged them to ratify the agreement as soon as they felt able and I welcome this announcement by the Prime Minister. This is a big step in moving us towards a more productive, efficient, low carbon economy and also demonstrates that we are working with our partners on the international stage to achieve a more sustainable future.’