France Ratifies Climate Agreement

PARIS (AP) -- France's President Francois Hollande has ratified the Paris Agreement, a deal on curbing global warming reached last year by 195 countries.

France on Wednesday became the second European country to ratify, after Hungary, and the first the Group of Seven advanced economies. The ratification was formally authorized by the French parliament last week.

The Paris agreement aims to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with preindustrial times. It enters into force once 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of global emissions have joined it.

China, the world's top carbon emitter, said it intends to ratify the agreement before the G-20 summit in China in September. The United States, the second-largest emitter, also announced its intention to ratify this year.

(KA)