The Paris agreement on climate change enters into force on Friday, marking the first time that governments have agreed legally binding limits to global temperature rises. The passage of the accord – the fruit of more than two decades of often tortuous international negotiations on combating climate change – was hailed by nations and observers around the world. That is what scientists regard as the limit of safety, beyond which climate change is likely to become catastrophic and irreversible. Benjamin Sporton, chief executive of the World Coal Association, said: “For many countries, coal will continue to play a significant role in economic development, industrialisation and urbanisation. For the Paris agreement to be realised, we need to support those countries [that are committed to lower emission coal technology, such as high-efficiency plants].

Source: The Guardian November 04, 2016 02:26 UTC