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Trudeau and other leaders sign Paris climate-change accord at UN today

#64 of 2563 articles from the Special Report: Race Against Climate Change
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses reporters at the 2016 GLOBE Series in Vancouver on March 2, 2016. Photo by Elizabeth McSheffrey.

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NEW YORK — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be among the world leaders at the United Nations today as dozens of them sign the Paris climate-change accord.

The agreement enters into force once it's signed by 55 countries accounting for 55 per cent of global emissions.

Most countries are expected to add their signatures today — on the first possible day.

The agreement creates a system to evaluate whether counties are keeping their commitments: Canada's is to reduce emissions 30 per cent by 2030. The country is not on target to meet that commitment.

The prime minister was pressed about his government's apparent support for oil pipelines, like Keystone XL, during a question-and-answer with students yesterday at New York University.

Trudeau replied that flexibility is key: he said a strong economy means more wealth, which can be invested in policies that lead to a clean-energy future.

The prime minister also went to a famous Brooklyn gym yesterday and boxed.

His New York trip concludes today with a meeting with Colombia's president and a press conference.

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