Paris Climate Change - Signing of new law today

Leaders from 150 countries are in New York today to sign the Agreement made at the December 15 Climate Change meeting in Paris.

If enough countries sign it, then it will become international law 30 days after being signed.

For this to happen 55% of the world's countries, who together make up at least 55% of the world's emissions have to sign. These requirements are so the action will actually happen. It's not enough that small countries, most threatened by climate change - such as islands in the Pacific and Caribbean, can sign. Their emissions are negligible. Countries who cause the emissions need to be involved. Both China and the US, who make up about 40% of emissions, have jointly indicated they will sign.

Although Australia is there to sign the treaty, it might not be able to comply with it. It will depend which party is in power. The Turnbull government agreed to sign and although Turnbull himself is a supporter of an emission trading scheme, the Coalition is strongly opposed to it. Since the Abbott Govenment repealed the Carbon Trading Scheme introduced by the Gillard Government, our carbon emissions are actually rising for the first time in a decade.

Bill Shorten has said if elected, the ALP would reintroduce a carbon trading scheme.

Whoever is in Government, legislating Australia’s climate targets, setting a national cap on emissions, and pricing carbon pollution are vital if Australia’s signature on the Paris Agreement is to mean anything at all.

The world has collectively realised that rapid, transformative action is required to decarbonise the global economy by 2050, Australia needs to do it's bit.

Read further in The Conversation