European countries such as Germany, France, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Portugal, and Malta, along with Canada, Bolivia, and Nepal, have shown support for the 2015 Paris Agreement, which has now reached the required 55 percent backing from countries representing world greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement will officially begin in 30 days, on Nov 4, just before the US presidential election, where Republican candidate Donald Trump opposes the agreement and Democrat Hillary Clinton strongly supports it. President Obama has hailed this as a historic day in the fight against climate change, stating that if countries follow through on their commitments, the Paris agreement could be a turning point for the planet. China and the United States, as the top emitters, have also recently joined forces in support of the agreement. According to the UN website, a total of 73 out of 195 countries have ratified the agreement. European Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete praised this progress, while European nations hurried to submit their formal documents to the United Nations to avoid being left behind if other countries ratified the agreement first. An EU diplomat expressed concern about being overshadowed in the process. The rapid ratification of an agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions was widely praised for its potential to mitigate the effects of climate change. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed optimism about the progress, but also emphasized the need for further action. Thoriq Ibrahim, Environment Minister for the Maldives, stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that time is running out. In contrast, the previous UN climate deal, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, took eight years to gain sufficient support for implementation. The Paris climate deal only required wealthy countries to reduce emissions, leading the United States to opt out. Opposition to President Obama's climate change policies persists in the Republican-controlled Congress. House Speaker Paul Ryan criticized the agreement, calling it harmful to the American economy. On the other hand, Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, believes ratification of the deal highlights the urgent need to transition to a low-carbon economy. Despite this, current national commitments to reduce emissions are not enough to meet the Paris agreement's goal of keeping global temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius. According to studies by the United Nations, it is projected that global temperatures will increase by at least 3 degrees by the year 2100 if current trends continue. Furthermore, this year is anticipated to be the hottest on record since the 19th century, surpassing the previous record set in 2015.