UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued the following statement on US steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on Climate Change:
“I warmly welcome President Biden’s steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and join the growing coalition of governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis.
Following last year’s Climate Ambition Summit, countries producing half of global carbon pollution had committed to carbon neutrality. Today’s commitment by President Biden brings that figure to two-thirds. But there is a very long way to go. The climate crisis continues to worsen and time is running out to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build more climate-resilient societies that help to protect the most vulnerable.
We look forward to the leadership of the United States in accelerating global efforts towards net zero, including by bringing forward a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) with ambitious 2030 targets and climate finance in advance of COP26 in Glasgow later this year.
I am committed to working closely with President Biden and other leaders to overcome the climate emergency, and recover better from COVID-19”.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa thanked US President Joe Biden for bringing the United States back into the Paris Agreement and said: “I am looking forward to seeing ambitious targets in the US NDC to accelerate climate action.”
NDCs are national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement which describe how each country plans to contribute to reaching the agreement’s goals.
A new instrument of acceptance of the Paris Agreement by the US, expressing its consent to be bound by the Agreement, was deposited with the Secretary-General on 20 January.
The Paris Agreement entered into force for the United States on 19 February 2021.
