Cabinet decides to ratify Paris agreement

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to ratify the Paris agreement on climate change.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Today the cabinet has decided to ratify Paris agreement," Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

Modi had announced during the BJP national council meeting on Sunday last that India will ratify the 21st Conference of Parties (CoP) protocol on combating climate change on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2.

Javadekar said that 61 countries have ratified the protocol but implementation of the agreement also requires that at least 55 per cent of world emissions are captured among the countries which ratified it.

He said there was a shortfall of 3.5 percent to cross the "55 per cent pollution barrier" and it will be crossed with India’s decision to ratify the agreement.

"India became a decisive partner in the ratification process," he said.

Javadekar said the Paris agreement will get implemented post 2020 and India will seek action from the developed world in the pre-2020 period.