- 3 minutes ago
- From the section Science & Environment
Organisers of climate talks in Paris are releasing details of a proposed landmark deal to curb climate change.
France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the final draft of the deal was fair, legally binding and would limit warming to "well below 2C"."It's my deep conviction that we have come up with an ambitious and balanced agreement," he told countries.
The final draft agreement is being presented to international delegates in Paris after two weeks of talks.
Mr Fabius added: "It confirms our key objective, the objective which is vital, that of continuing to have a mean temperature well below two degrees and to endeavour to limit that increase to one point five degrees."
Positions 'narrowed'
Nearly 200 countries are attempting to strike the first climate deal to commit all countries to cut emissions, which would come into being in 2020.Ministers will now decide whether or not to approve the proposed agreement.
Hopes are high for the historic deal but countries could still raise objections.
The UN summit has run over time as countries try to overcome divisions over ambition, money and trust.
The spokesman of the UN climate body behind the meeting said positions had "narrowed enormously" ahead of presentation of the final climate deal draft.
Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace, speaking before the text was released, said there had been disagreements over how and when to phase out fossil fuels and issues such as financing.
"There`s been a lot of discussion whether the long-term goal will give a clear signal to phase out fossil by mid-century or is there a risk that it will be much later?" he said.
"There have been also a lot of arguments about the financing package because it was quite clear that for the US and for Europe it's such a big step forward which is hardly to believe they will do it.
"So everything seems to be sorted but we don`t know yet whether it`s a good one or a bad one."
Slimmer draft
An anonymous French official quoted by the news agency AP before the release of the draft said it ran to about "20 pages" - about seven pages shorter than a previous draft.The last hours of the talks culminate a four-year effort to produce the first international pact asking all countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions.
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