Historic Climate Change Deal Reached

© Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Nations strike historic deal on climate change - Delegates from 195 countries approved on Saturday a historic climate accord that seeks to slow the rise of greenhouse gasses blamed for putting Earth on a dangerous warming path.

Called the Paris Agreement, the document is the result of five sets of grueling negotiations this year. It seeks to limit rising temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels through the year 2100. It also keeps the door open to a more ambitious 1.5-degree (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) rise sought by some small island nations threatened by rising sea levels — one of many catastrophic consequences of global warming.

Pope Francis, who has urged a vigorous fight against global warming, endorsed the tougher target.

The final text, presented after nearly two weeks of debate, also pledges financial support from rich, developed nations to developing countries to help them confront the threats from climate change, such as the need to build seawalls and early warning systems and moving people from dangerous areas.

But the document does not specify how much aid will be made available after current financial commitments run out in 2020.

Use of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, are principal culprits in causing greenhouse gases but they also are the fuels developing economies rely on to expand their economies. Switching to renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, would be very costly for them.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, president of the conference, said delegates had managed to craft a “historical turning point.” As he hammered his green gavel to close of the conference, he wiped tears from his eyes as delegates hugged each other and snapped photos to preserve the moment.

Earlier Saturday, French President Francois Hollande told delegates they had the future of the planet in their hands. "It is rare to have an opportunity to change the world," Hollande told the negotiators. "You have it and you must grasp it."

The agreement won praise from environmentalists, who said the challenge now is for nations to follow through on the commitments made here.

"By including a long-term temperature goal of below 2 degrees of warming with a reference to a 1.5-degree goal, the latest draft text sends a strong signal that governments are committed to being in line with science," said Tasneem Essop of World Wide Fund for Nature. "What we need now is for their actions, including emission reductions and finance, to add up to delivering on that goal."

With adoption of the agreement, the process moves toward getting national legislatures to approve the agreement. In the text, ratification requires approval of at least 55 countries representing 55% of the world’s emissions to sign on before 2020.

A broad consensus of climate scientists predicts that global warming if left unchecked will wreak havoc on the planet, from extreme weather patterns to the extinction of many species of animals and plants.