Nicaragua announced its intent to join the Paris Climate Accord, leaving Donald Trump's United States and Bashar al-Assad's Syria as the only countries outside the global pact to limit global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels.

Vice President Rosario Murillo told a radio station in Managua that Nicaragua had already presented the relevant documents to join the accord to the United Nations.  Nicaragua initially didn't sign on to Paris because the government of Daniel Ortega didn't believe it went far enough.

"It is the only instrument we have in the world that allows the unity of intentions and efforts to face up to climate change and natural disasters," said Ms. Murillo.

Then-US President Barack Obama signed the Paris Accord with leaders of nearly 200 other nations two years ago, but the next US presidential election brought Donald Trump into office.  The orange clown is a climate change denier, and his administration has already written off the climate scientists who have said warmer air and water resulting from climate change may have contributed to the severity of powerful hurricanes that devastated parts of Texas and Florida, and practically all of the US territory of Puerto Rico.

Back in the real world, Fiji will preside over the next round of UN climate talks, scheduled to take place from 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany.  Environment ministers from around the world will work on a set of international guidelines for implementing the Paris accord.