New Announcements on Paris Climate Agreement Pending at UN General Assembly

The United States expects new announcements on the Paris climate agreement to be made at the UN General Assembly in New York next week, the White House announced.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power described on Friday the upcoming announcements as "substantial."

"You can expect, I think, to see some very substantial announcements in the coming days," US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said on Friday. "The goal is to see that the agreement is enforced."

The United States and China ratified the agreement at the G20 summit on September 3, and Brazil joined on Monday.

The agreement will be open for signatures until April 2017 but Power explained that the administration wants it to be ratified by the end of 2016.

In December, 196 nations signed the agreement, pledging to limit global average temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The agreement will enter into force when ratified by 55 parties representing at least 55 percent of global emissions.