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A Holdout Just Joined The Paris Climate Agreement

Local media report Nicaragua gave documents to the United Nations that finalize its place in the climate pact.
Posted at 3:09 PM, Oct 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-24 15:09:30-04

It's official: Nicaragua is part of the Paris climate agreement.

Local media report Nicaragua's government handed over documents to the United Nations, solidifying the country's place.

This leaves only the U.S. and Syria not on board. President Donald Trump said in June the U.S. would leave the agreement.

Initially Nicaragua said it didn't sign because it didn't think the pact went far enough to combat climate change.

But Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said in September the country would sign in solidarity with countries most vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters.

Officials haven't said exactly how Nicaragua will contribute. Some environmentalists have suggested the country focus on climate adaptation rather than mitigation.

That's because Nicaragua isn't a huge emitter of greenhouse gases — it's not even in the top 20 emitters of CO2, according to the Global Carbon Atlas.