Humanity made "a deal with the future"

Today the French capital hosted a ceremony of signing the Paris agreement on fight against climate change.

As a common goal for 196 countries of the world, the document envisages containment of increase of the average temperature on Earth within 2 degrees Celsius by 2100 from the level of pre-industrial era, as well as efforts to contain this indicator within 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The Paris climate agreement will enter into force on 30th day after it will be ratified by at least 55 countries, which account for at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions together.

175 states have signed it. President of France Francois Hollande was the first to do it.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin signed the document on behalf of Russia.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed the importance of today's event, calling this agreement "a deal with the future."

"I urge all countries to quickly join to the agreement, so that it would enter into force as soon as possible. The opportunity to limit the increase in global temperature at the level of less than two degrees, and especially 1.5 degrees, may be lost soon. The era of consumption without consequences is over. We must intensify efforts to reduce the dependence of our economies on hydrocarbons," TASS quotes him as saying.

Ban Ki-moon admitted that this is the day, for the sake of which he worked "from the very first day as Secretary General," when he announced climate change problem as his top priority. "Today you sign a deal with the future," he stated, adding that future generations depend on actions that world leaders will take today.

"Signing of the Paris Agreement by an overwhelming majority of UN member states, which is held today, is certainly a significant and an important step towards achieving goals of the fight against global climate change by international community," Alexander Khloponin noted.

"Russia welcomes signing of the Paris agreement, we are ready to work closely with all partners in the framework of joint work on overcoming global consequences of climate change," he stressed.