Large 'smiley' to illuminate Environment Ministry as Paris deal enters into force

A huge 'smiley emoticon' will illuminate the Union Environment Ministry here on Friday, November 4, evening to commemorate the entry into force of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement.

"We will light up the ministry building with a smiley as the Paris Climate agreement would enter into force," Anil Madhav Dave, Union Minister of Environment, said here.

Besides the Indira Paryavaran Bhawan -- where the ministry is established -- other landmark buildings across the world, like Eiffel Tower in Paris, will also display the huge smiley emoticon.

On October 5, the threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement was achieved with total 55 parties (countries or unions) that contribute to at least 55 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, ratifying the agreement.

So for 95 of total 192 signatory parties of the convention, accounting for 66 per cent of global emissions, have ratified the agreement.

The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) was held in November-December 2015 in Paris, where 192 parties, including India, adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal, out of the total 197 parties to the convention.

The agreement was earlier suppose to enter into force in 2020.

The first session of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1) will take place in Morocco at COP22 and CMP 12 (Parties to the Kyoto Protocol).

The COP22 will be held from November 7 to 18 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

--IANS

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