Sri Lanka and the Paris Agreement – Rights and Duties 

The Agreement also recognizes the need to put in place appropriate financial tools in order to achieve the aforementioned ambitious goals with a view to enabling developing states to face the challenges of mitigating climate change at their own pace and in accordance with their own national objectives.

by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne

( April 9, 2016, Montreal, Sri Lanka Guardian) It was recently reported that Cabinet approval had been given for Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha  to sign on behalf of the Sri Lankan government the Paris Agreement adopted by the Conference of The Parties (COP 21) to The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC) held in September 2015.  It is understood that Cabinet approval was granted not for the mere signature of the treaty (which is not sufficient for the treaty to be applicable to Sri Lanka) but for the ratification of this Agreement by which Sri Lanka will be bound by the principles enunciated in the Agreement.  Minister Premajayantha is to participate in the high level signature ceremony on April 22 at The Headquarters of the United Nations in New York.

 As many as 195 States were parties to the discussions in Paris on the COP 21 Agreement which was accepted in general by consensus.  The Agreement will be deposited at the UN in New York and opened for one year for signature on 22 April 2016–Mother Earth Day.

The Agreement will enter into force after 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification. The overall aim of the Agreement is to maintain a global temperature rise in the 21st century to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the lower level recognized as a buffer against worst case scenario impacts of climate change. Another important goal of the Agreement is to strengthen the capacity of States to effectively address and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Article 2 of the Agreement stipulates that the Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by: holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change; increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production; and making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.

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