Iceland signs Paris climate change deal
Sigrún Magnúsdóttir signing the Paris deal on behalf of Iceland.
Iceland was one of over 170 nations to sign the historic Paris climate change agreement in the New York on Friday, the largest ever international deal of its type.
The honour of signing the deal for Iceland went to Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources Sigrún Magnúsdóttir, who has pledged that “Iceland will make its contribution” to efforts to tackle climate change.
A statement from Magnúsdóttir’s ministry reads: “Iceland will work to implement the objectives of the agreement. This will include action in the fields of transport, fisheries and agriculture, as well as carbon capture through reforestation and soil reclamation.”
In a speech at the UN ceremony in New York on Friday, the Minister also pledged Iceland’s support for developing countries in the fields of climate change and green energy.
Both Iceland and Norway will be working closely with the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU) in the context of the new Paris deal. Informal talks among the thirty nations are under way on setting a common goal of a 40% reduction in emissions (as compared to 1990 levels) by 2030.
The United Nations Signing Ceremony for the Paris Agreement last Friday. Photo: Spencer Platt
