The historic Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015 at COP21, officially entered into force this Friday, November 4th, ahead of the initially proposed deadline and just days before COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco.

On October 5, 2016, the required number of Parties ratifying the Convention was reached for the Paris Agreement to enter into force, whereby at least 55 Parties to the Convention, which had registered at least 55% of total greenhouse gas emissions, deposited their instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession within 30 days of that date. This effectively means that these countries underwent internal processes to officially adopt the agreement, allowing it to become legally binding on all Parties.

The speed with which countries ratified the agreement demonstrates the nations' commitment to combating climate change. Under the framework of the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to combat climate change, take action and invest in a low-carbon, resilient and sustainable future, and keep the average increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, with the international goal of limiting it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Local and regional governments have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to working together with national governments to ensure effective action at all levels against climate change, and are ready to accelerate and intensify efforts in this urgent fight.

The entry into force of the Paris Agreement, just before the start of COP22, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, sends a strong signal that no time can be wasted and that nations need to take the necessary steps to achieve the ambitious goals they have set and now focus on implementation.

* News originally published by ICLEI World Secretariat on October 27, 2016. Read here.