(VOVworld)- As concerns grow that US president-elect Donald Trump could withdraw the US from the Paris climate deal, Australia has ratified its greenhouse gas emission targets.

Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull told Parliament on Thursday that Australia had become the hundred-and-fortieth country to ratify the agreement which was decided upon at the UN climate meeting in Paris last December. In April, the accord was signed by 196 nations in New York. Under the terms of the agreement, the countries have committed to working towards limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and setting five-yearly targets for reducing emissions. "Ratification of the agreement confirms Australia's ambitious and responsible target to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2030," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a joint statement with the two ministers.