After India, EU likely to ratify Paris agreement

The two ratifications would mean countries accounting for nearly 65 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions will have approved the accord, which is set to take effect 30 days after 55 countries accounting for 55 percent of emissions deposit their ratification instruments with the UN. Currently 61 countries accounting for nearly 48 percent of emissions have joined the accord. “We’ve heard that the European Union may deposit its ratification instruments with us much sooner than we had expected, which would be tremendous news,” UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday. If that were to happen before Oct. 7 the next U.N. conference on climate change set to take place in Marrakech would begin on Nov. 7 with the agreement already in force, something Dujarric said “would send a very strong signal to the rest of the world.” India, accounting for about 4.5 percent of emissions, ratified the agreement on Wednesday.