195 countries agreed in Paris today to adopt an historic deal to keep global warming “well below” 2C and “signal the end of fossil fuels” – it requires economies around the world to regulate emissions of gases that scientists say are causing the earth to warm.
Negotiators sealed the deal after easing U.S. concerns about provisions that would need to be approved by sceptical U.S. lawmakers. They won over developing nations at the last hour by exempting them from obligations to help pay the bill for confronting climate change.
It calls for wealthy economies, such as the U.S. and the European Union, to shoulder more of the burden, including a pledge to channel at least $100 billion a year to poor countries to help them respond to climate change.
The deal also requires action for the first time from developing nations, including large emitters such as China and India, to find ways to lower the trajectory of their emissions growth, even as they attempt to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
Friends of the Earth CEO Craig Bennett said:
“This climate deal falls far short of the soaring rhetoric from world leaders less than two weeks ago.”
David Cameron the UK Prime Minister said:
“What is so special about this deal is that it puts the onus on every country to play its part. Britain has already been leading the way in that.”
“This is a good agreement,” said Prakash Javadekar, India’s environment minister.
After days of nonstop negotiations the countries united today around the following document:
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