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UN chief hails U.S.-Indian joint statement on climate change

Xinhua, June 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed a joint statement by U.S. and Indian leaders to announce their support for the Paris Agreement to enter into force early.

Ban "is further encouraged by the resolve of India and the United States to pursue low greenhouse gas emission development strategies and successful outcomes this year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Montreal Protocol, the International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly, and the G20," according to a statement issued by the secretary-general's spokesman.

Early on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed climate change, nuclear energy and economic cooperation during a meeting at the White House.

"The United States and India recognize the urgency of the threat of climate change and are therefore committed to bringing the Paris Agreement into force as quickly as possible," said a statement issued by the White House after Obama and Modi's meeting.

The two nations' joint announcement, which follows the historic signing ceremony on April 22 for the Paris Agreement, "demonstrates the growing momentum towards the rapid entry into force and successful implementation of the Paris Agreement," said the UN statement.

"The secretary-general encourages all countries to accelerate their domestic processes to join or ratify the agreement to ensure its early entry into force," the statement added.

The Paris Agreement, reached at a UN conference on climate change in Paris in December 2015, is mainly aimed at keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and limiting the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The 1.5-degree-Celsius limit is believed to be a significantly safer defense line against the worst impacts of the climate change.

On April 22, the first day that the Paris Agreement was open for signature, representatives from 175 countries signed the document, marking the largest one-day signing of any international agreement.

As of today, 177 countries have inked, and 17 have ratified the Paris Agreement. Endi