International News

JAKARTA, Oct 19, (APP/AFP) – Indonesia, one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, Wednesday ratified a landmark climate rescue pact but environmentalists expressed scepticism about the government’s plans to limit global warming. The country’s parliament agreed to endorse the Paris Agreement which was reached last December in the French capital, joining scores of other countries which have ratified the deal. It requires all countries to devise plans to achieve the goal of keeping the rise in temperatures within two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The accord is due to enter into force on November 4, earlier than expected, after the threshold for ratification — by 55 countries responsible for 55 percent of emissions — was reached earlier this month. In its plan Indonesia pledged to cut emissions by at least 29 percent by 2030 by stepping up protection of forests and expanding the renewable energy sector.