For the first time in history Governments agree binding limits to temperature rises as the Paris Climate Change agreement enters into force today.

China, India, Brazil, the US and the EU are jointly with other countries now legally obligated to limit global warming to within 2 degrees C against pre-industrial levels. Scientists believe that temperatures rising above this limit will result in catastrophic and irreversible damage to the earth. The Paris Agreement has involved unprecedented international co-ordination and commitment to tackle arguably the biggest threat to our planet.

The Agreement sets out ambitions to reduce global emissions to zero, to scale up renewable energy, price carbon and introduce more regulation for polluters.

The United Nations Environment Programme has however cast doubt on the will of involved Governments’ to keep this commitment and are predicting over 3 degree C rises. The UN say that emissions have to be cut by a quarter by the end of the next decade if temperature rises are to be stalled. The UN say that displacement from homes, hunger, disease and mass migration are set to increase dramatically if not enough action is taken.

Whilst the overall temperature limit is binding, individual domestic targets are not, thus leaving environmental campaigners concerned.

55 Parties to the Paris Climate Change convention accounting for at least an estimated 55% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions have now deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary. Notably the UK and Australia’s has yet to be ratified albeit the Australian Government says ratification is at the final stages and Teresa May says it will be ratified "by the end of the year". See the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Status of Ratification.

Next week government world leaders will meet in Morocco to discuss how to implement the Agreement.