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UN members agree deal at Lima climate talks | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
United Nations members have reached an agreement on how countries should tackle climate change. | United Nations members have reached an agreement on how countries should tackle climate change. |
Delegates have approved a framework for setting national pledges to be submitted to a summit next year. | Delegates have approved a framework for setting national pledges to be submitted to a summit next year. |
Differences over the draft text caused the talks in Lima, Peru, to overrun by two days. | Differences over the draft text caused the talks in Lima, Peru, to overrun by two days. |
Environmental groups have criticised the deal as a weak and ineffectual compromise, saying it weakens international climate rules. | Environmental groups have criticised the deal as a weak and ineffectual compromise, saying it weakens international climate rules. |
The talks proved difficult because of divisions between rich and poor countries over how to spread the burden of pledges to cut carbon emissions. | |
'Not perfect' | 'Not perfect' |
The BBC's Matt McGrath in Lima says none of the 194 countries attending the talks walked away with everything they wanted, but everybody got something. | |
There was a great sense of relief among delegates when the announcement came in the early hours of Sunday morning, he adds, following 48 hours of talks without a break. | |
Peru's environment minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who chaired the summit, told reporters: "As a text it's not perfect, but it includes the positions of the parties." | Peru's environment minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who chaired the summit, told reporters: "As a text it's not perfect, but it includes the positions of the parties." |
The agreement was adopted hours after a previous draft was rejected by developing countries, who accused rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming and pay for its impacts. | The agreement was adopted hours after a previous draft was rejected by developing countries, who accused rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming and pay for its impacts. |
The final draft is said to have alleviated those concerns with by saying countries have "common but differentiated responsibilities". | The final draft is said to have alleviated those concerns with by saying countries have "common but differentiated responsibilities". |
"We've got what we wanted," Indian environment minister Prakash Javedekar told reporters, saying the document preserved the notion that richer nations had to lead the way in making cuts in emissions. | "We've got what we wanted," Indian environment minister Prakash Javedekar told reporters, saying the document preserved the notion that richer nations had to lead the way in making cuts in emissions. |
It also restored a promise to poorer countries that a "loss and damage" scheme would be established to help them cope with the financial implications of rising temperatures. | It also restored a promise to poorer countries that a "loss and damage" scheme would be established to help them cope with the financial implications of rising temperatures. |
However, it weakened language on national pledges, saying countries "may" instead of "shall" include quantifiable information showing how they intend to meet their emissions targets. | However, it weakened language on national pledges, saying countries "may" instead of "shall" include quantifiable information showing how they intend to meet their emissions targets. |
The agreed document calls for: | |
Environmental groups were scathing in their response to the document, saying the proposals were nowhere need drastic enough. | |
Sam Smith, chief of climate policy for the environmental group WWF, said: "The text went from weak to weaker to weakest and it's very weak indeed." | Sam Smith, chief of climate policy for the environmental group WWF, said: "The text went from weak to weaker to weakest and it's very weak indeed." |
Jagoda Munic, chairperson of Friends of the Earth International, said fears the talks would fail to deliver "a fair and ambitious outcome" had been proven "tragically accurate". | |
The talks followed last month's agreement on emissions targets between the US and China, but hopes it would encourage wider global agreement faded once talks began in Lima on 1 December. | |
On Saturday, US climate envoy Todd Stern had warned that the deadlock in the negotiations threatened the chances of a new global deal next year, saying it would be seen as "a major breakdown". |