Big countries are still waiting to ratify the Paris climate deal. What’s the holdup?

In the wake of the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union, environmentalists have been in a bit of a tizzy. The Paris climate deal, negotiated late last year, needs ratification from 55 parties accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions before it kicks into effect — and the 28-member EU, which must ratify as a bloc, makes up the third-largest slice of the emissions pie.

But things are tumultuous in Brussels these days, raising concerns that the EU might not manage the task anytime soon. If the EU doesn’t formally join the agreement before the end of the year, further pressure will be placed on the rest of the world to ratify and bring the deal into effect.

[Full article here]