Libyan government to sign Paris climate deal

By Halime Afra Aksoy

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The Libyan government has decided to sign the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh announced on Sunday.

“Libya is one of the few countries that has not signed the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Government of National Unity has today decided to sign it with pride and responsibility,” the state television quoted Dbeibeh as saying at a ceremony marking World Environment Day.

The agreement will be sent to the parliament for approval, he added.

He said that his country is among the countries most affected by the negative effects of climate change due to its climate and geographical location.

The Paris Agreement is considered a landmark document in global climate change efforts and a legally binding treaty.

It entered into force in 2016 and has been adopted by over 190 parties, aiming to curb global warming compared to pre-industrial levels to well below 2, preferably 1.5, degrees Celsius.

Libya has recently witnessed positive developments following a breakthrough in which rival parties agreed on Feb. 5 on a unified new executive authority that will govern in the lead-up to national elections.

Libyans hope the new government will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011.