United Nations negotiators have avoided a last-minute collapse of climate talks in Warsaw, approving a modest agreement that clears the way for a 2015 pact to fight global warming.
After two weeks of negotiations at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, delegates from more than 190 countries Saturday agreed on a deal apportioning targets for carbon emissions cuts between rich and poor nations. The deal also covers funding for countries vulnerable to climate change impacts.
The talks carried over into an extra day and only moved forward after negotiators replaced the word "commitments" in the text with the word "contributions." China and India said the word change could give them wider latitude when proposing emissions targets.
Developing nations like China and India insist that richer countries adopt stricter targets than they do. Western nations say they expect emerging economies to do their part to decrease global pollution.
The 2015 deal will be the first to bind all nations to curb damaging emissions created by burning coal, gas and oil.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
After two weeks of negotiations at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, delegates from more than 190 countries Saturday agreed on a deal apportioning targets for carbon emissions cuts between rich and poor nations. The deal also covers funding for countries vulnerable to climate change impacts.
The talks carried over into an extra day and only moved forward after negotiators replaced the word "commitments" in the text with the word "contributions." China and India said the word change could give them wider latitude when proposing emissions targets.
Developing nations like China and India insist that richer countries adopt stricter targets than they do. Western nations say they expect emerging economies to do their part to decrease global pollution.
The 2015 deal will be the first to bind all nations to curb damaging emissions created by burning coal, gas and oil.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
