20160425 Standard_171 countries sign landmark climate pact

The UN says a record 171 countries are expected to sign the landmark climate change agreement.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said at the start of a high-level UN ceremony that “history is in the making.''
He told global leaders and ministers the world is in “a race against time,'' citing record global temperatures, record ice loss and record carbon levels in the atmosphere.
“The era of consumption without consequences is over,'' Ban said. “We must intensify efforts to decarbonize our economies.''
Ban, who recalled that climate change has been his top priority since he became secretary-general over nine years ago, urged all countries to ratify the agreement so it can come into force as early as possible.
The agreement will enter into force once 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of global emissions have formally joined it. 
US Secretary of State John Kerry is joining dozens of world leaders at the ceremony.
States that don't sign today have a year to do so.
Many expect the climate agreement to enter into force long before the original deadline of 2020. Some say it could happen this year.
After signing, countries must formally approve the agreement through their domestic procedures. The United Nations says at least 13 countries could take that step today by depositing their instruments of ratification.—AP