On Earth Day, ministers and leaders from all over the world will begin to ink their country's commitment to the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, vowing to reduce total carbon emissions by 2020.
Signing the historic deal is indeed a cause for celebration and self-congratulation, but the World Bank wants countries to take heed: after the Earth Day momentum, what comes next?
Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, spoke at the introductory event of the International Monetary Fund's Spring Meetings about how nations could turn December's climate deal into tangible action.
Although there is intense pressure on the 196 nations that took part in the Paris deal, Kim said there is a sense that once countries officially signed on April 22, the pressure would be off.
Still, the game is not yet over.
The next big obstacle is to change the incentives with a global shift away from fossil fuels and to push for renewable, clean energy, as well as the wider acceptance of carbon pricing, said Kim.
The World Bank released its own climate action plan on April 7, promising to boost funding for climate change initiatives.
"We have to move now," added Kim. "The real losers will be every single one of our children and grandchildren."
Meanwhile, Catherine McKenna, Canada's Environment and Climate Change Minister, spoke about how countries can guarantee continued progress.
She said that by signing the Paris deal either at the Earth Day ceremony or after, and by immediately implementing the accord domestically, the momentum could be sustained.
"We can't just rest on our laurels [where] we have a signing on Earth Day and then we all go home," said McKenna.
More than 130 nations are set to attend the signing ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The United States and China — the two leading producers of global carbon emissions — are expected to ink the deal on the first day. The U.S. has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025.
Although North Korea did not submit an official contribution to the climate deal, a U.N. spokesperson said the country's foreign minister Ri Su-yong will support the Earth Day event and sign the pact.
Photo: World Trade Organization | Flickr
