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Marshall Islands to ratify Paris climate deal

Xinhua, March 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Marshall Islands will become the third country to ratify the Paris climate change agreement following approval from parliament, AAP reported on Tuesday.

The country will now follow in the footsteps of its Pacific neighbours Fiji and Palau who completed the process in February.

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, along with the Foreign Minister Tony de Brum will visit New York for the new global deal on April 22.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be present at the signing ceremony for the nation to deposit its instrument of ratification.

Heine said by becoming one of the first countries to ratify the Paris agreement, it has shown the country's determination to continue to lead the fight from the front.

"The big tasks now are to ensure that the Paris agreement enters into force as soon as possible, and that governments move quickly to realign their emissions targets with the new 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit the world agreed to pursue in Paris," Heine said.

The Paris agreement is due to take effect in 2020, if 55 countries that produce at least 55 percent of the world's global emissions ratify it first.

Island nations are already feeling the impact of climate change, with the Marshall Islands recently being put on high alert for flooding caused by king tides.

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