European Parliament Ratifies Paris Climate Agreement

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The vote came after the EU environment ministers ratified the deal on September 30.

"Today the European Union turned climate ambition into climate action. The Paris Agreement is the first of its kind and it would not have been possible were it not for the European Union. Today we continued to show leadership and prove that, together, the European Union can deliver," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, as quoted by the commission's statement.

Out of 679 members present, 610 voted to ratify the agreement, 38 were against and 31 abstained.

In December 2015, the international community agreed to limit global average temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by reducing emissions, with 197 parties signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The agreement was set to enter into force a month after being ratified by 55 signatories responsible for 55 percent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions and, as of now, has been ratified by 62, who account for 51.89 percent of harmful emissions.

Greenpeace European Unit, upon learning about the results of the vote, urged the European Union to further limit global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.