UN chief says he expects Turkey to present climate plan soon

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Thursday Turkey's ratification of the 2015 Paris climate accord, saying Ankara should rapidly present its national plan to combat climate change.

"I expect Turkey to present as soon as possible a national #ClimateAction plan in line with its commitment to get to net zero emissions by 2053," Guterres said on Twitter.

On Wednesday, Turkey’s parliament ratified the Paris Climate Agreement to contribute to global efforts against climate change.

On Dec. 12, 2015, parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change reached an agreement to fight climate change and achieve a sustainable low-carbon future at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.

The Paris Agreement, defined as "a bridge between today's policies and climate-neutrality before the end of the 21st century," seeks to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by stopping global average temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels over the next century.

It also seeks to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible.