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UN Climate Conference reaches agreement in Lima

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After a late-night wrangling over a climate change deal agreed at United Nations talks in the Peru's capital Lima. The compromise sets the stage for a global climate pact in Paris next year.

Running into extra time and under pressure to get a deal. Peru's Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, presented a new, fourth draft just before midnight. He gave parties just an hour to review it.

The two previous texts had been rejected by developing countries who accused rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming.

"It seems to me, and I am sure that we are all ready to take on the challenge of approving this document. And if that is the case, and I don't hear any objection, the text is approved," Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal said.

Approval. With negotiations on the brink of collapse after two weeks of talks, there was relief and celebrations.

Carefully re-worded to overcome objections, the text is finally approved in the early hours of Sunday morning. The first step on the road to a global climate change deal in Paris next year.

The goal was to reach a draft agreement for countries individual pledges to combat global warming.

But even that proved difficult as poorer countries demanded financial aid from richer ones to combat climate change.

Finding compromise had been hard said the UN's climate chief, Christiana Figueres:

"We do know that we must address climate change, we know increasingly that we can address climate change and, through this COP and onto Paris, we cement the fact that we will address climate change," UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said.

But observers say the spirit of compromise led to a deal with no teeth.

“So we came in here on a wave of optimism. We had these announcements from the U.S. and China. We had lots of good announcements from countries in Latin America about renewable energy, about protecting forests. And where we are now is that we have a weak text and we have an incredibly hard road to Paris if we want to have a good global deal," Samantha Smith with World Wildlife Fund Climate Program, said.

As delegates head home, the work towards a global climate change deal Paris is just beginning.

 

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