Earth Day 2016 Signing ceremony
As indicated last week, Guyana, together with 174 other nations, have all reportedly signed on to the Paris Agreement, finally negotiated last December (2015). As noted, that agreement has established an innovative global framework, within which nations pledge their periodic performance targets, agree to mandatory assessment of these, as well as rich countries agreeing to substantial resource transfers to poor countries, in a coordinated global effort to put strict national curbs on greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are presently the leading causes of global warming and climate change. The global community has also set a year (until next Earth Day 2017), within which to complete the necessary ratification formalities.
Reportedly also, at the recent Earth Day 2016 signing ceremony, 15 countries had by then already completed their instruments for ratification of the agreement. The agreement, however, will not come into force until after fifty-five (55) nations complete their instruments of ratification. It should be recalled that, altogether, over several years 196 countries, both rich and poor, had been involved in extensive and intensive negotiations aimed at curbing intensive global dependence on fossil fuels, because of their related carbon dioxide emissions.
Readers may not be aware that there are several greenhouse gases, other than carbon dioxide; for example, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons. These are generated from agricultural and
