Turkey Now the Only G20 Country Not Ratifying Paris Agreement

* Photograph: Erçin Top/ New York - AA

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Signed by 194 countries and European Union (EU) representatives at the COP21 in Paris in 2015, Paris Agreement has been in effect since 2016.

Paris Agreement, a joint agreement with the highest participation, aims to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

At the ongoing United Nations (UN) Summit in New York, Russia has signed the act ratifying the country's participation in Paris Agreement.

That being the case, Turkey is now the only G20 country which has not yet ratified the climate agreement.

10 of 197 countries have not signed the agreement

Of 197 countries around the world, 10 countries, namely Turkey, Angola, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, South sudan and Yemen have not ratified the Paris Agreement.

After US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from Paris Agreement on June 21, 2017, daily HaberTürk reported that Turkey set receiving a share from the Green Climate Fund as a condition for ratifying the agreement and approving it at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).

140-percent increase in Turkey's emissions in 17 years

According to the statistics shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the carbon dioxide (CO2) - total greenhouse gas - emissions of Turkey have increased by 140.1 percent since 1990.

While the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of Turkey per capita was 4 tonnes/person in 1990, the figure increased to 6.6 tonnes/person in 2017.

In 1990, the total greenhouse gas emission of Turkey was 219.2 million tonnes. In 2017, this figure also increased to 526.3 million tonnes. (PT/SD)