The Government of Nicaragua has reported this Monday that it has acceded to the Paris Agreement, which had refrained from signing at first for considering it insufficient, leaving America and Syria as the only countries outside the Treaty. “On behalf of the people of Nicaragua, as head of state and government, I declare that the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua, in the light of the reasons already exposed and having considered that agreement, adheres to it and commits itself to faithfully comply with its provisions”, said Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in a letter released in Managua.
Ortega signed the instrument of accession in Managua with his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, last Friday, according to this letter. It is thus added to a treaty that was approved and opened for signature at UN headquarters in new York City on April 22, 2016. The Nicaraguan government refrained from signing at that time because, in its view, the Paris agreement must have been binding, that is compulsory, considering that the most polluting countries must make the biggest efforts against climate change.
Nicaragua then advocated to impose “common but differentiated responsibilities, demanding the most polluting strict commitments with reducing emissions and compensatory resources for so-called adaptation.” Ortega’s government now argued that the vast majority of States, both developed and developing, have assumed commitments to unite and multiply efforts against increased natural disasters with high costs, loss of life and More and more material damage. “In the same way, we unite efforts to stop and reduce the high levels of pollution that poison the planet,” continued the Nicaraguan executive. In addition, Ortega argued that the Paris agreement, “despite not being the ideal agreement, is the only instrument that currently allows this unity of intentions and efforts.” The agreement is the first global against climate warming and was adopted on 12 December 2015 in the French capital by the 195 signatory countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the European Union (EU).
Intended to replace in 2020 the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris agreement aims to keep the global average temperature rise below two degrees Celsius with respect to pre-industrial levels. Given the challenges presented by whether or not the signatories will in future honour their commitments, a cloud of doubt hangs over the effectiveness of Paris Agreement.
