After a speedy approval by the Senate on Thursday, the Paris Agreement is poised for presidential sanction by interim president Michel Temer, Claudio Angelo reports for Climate Home. Approved by both the Foreign Affairs Committee and the plenary in just hours, the Paris Agreement is expected to be formally ratified by Brazil in early September.

According to government sources, Brazil is also already drawing up a plan for early implementation of its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, or INDC, in which Brazil has committed to reduce 37% of its carbon emissions from 2005 levels.

Temer has already signalled that he will attend the UN General Assembly in September, where Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host a special event to speed ratification of the Paris Agreement. Climate Home reports that the world’s top two emitters, the United States and China, are “likely to deposit their respective ratification/accession instruments during Ban’s event.”

With the USA (17.89% of global emissions), China (20.09%) and Brazil (2.48%) on board, the agreement then would reach 41.54% of global emissions, according to official UN figures, Climate Home reports. The Paris Agreement must be ratified by at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of the world’s emissions to enter into force. Brazil is among the world’s top ten largest emitters, so this news is an important step towards the international climate accord’s entry into force. 

Image: A nighttime shot of the district of Bela Vista in São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city | Image Credit: Júlio Boaro