Deal salvaged at Peru climate talks

Climate negotiators salvaged a compromise deal in Lima yesterday that sets the stage for a global pact in Paris next year, but rejected a rigorous review of the greenhouse gas emissions limits they plan.

Some 30 hours behind schedule, delegates from more than 190 countries agreed on what information should go into the pledges that countries submit for the expected Paris pact.

They had argued for a day over the wording of the decision, with developing nations worried that the text blurred the distinction between what rich and poor countries can be expected to do.

The final draft alleviated those concerns with language saying countries have "common but differentiated responsibilities" to deal with global warming.

"As a text it's not perfect, but it includes the positions of the parties," said Peru's Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who was the conference chairman and had spent most of the day meeting separately with delegations.

The momentum from last month's joint US-China deal on emissions targets faded quickly in Lima as rifts reopened over who should do what to fight global warming. The goal of the talks is to shape a global agreement in Paris that puts the world on a path to reduce the heat-trapping gases that scientists say are warming the planet. Many developing countries, the most vulnerable to climate change's impact, accuse rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to curb climate change and pay for its damage.

The approved draft weakened language on the content of the pledges, saying they "may" instead of "shall" include quantifiable information showing how countries intend to meet emissions targets.

Also, top carbon polluter China and other major developing countries opposed plans for a review process that would allow the pledges to be compared before Paris. The new draft mentioned only that all pledges would be reviewed a month ahead of Paris to assess their combined effect on climate change.

Sam Smith, chief of climate policy for the environmental group WWF, said: "The text went from weak to weaker to weakest and it's very weak indeed."

Chief US negotiator Todd Stern acknowledged that negotiations had been contentious but said the outcome was "quite good in the end".

Historically, Western nations are the biggest CO ₂ emitters.

Currently, most emissions are coming from developing countries led by China and India as they grow their economies and lift millions of people out of poverty.

According to the United Nations' scientific panel on climate change, the world can pump out no more than about 1 trillion tons of carbon to have a likely chance of avoiding dangerous levels of warming - defined as exceeding 2 degrees Celsius above 19th-century averages.

Scientific reports say climate impacts are already happening and include rising sea levels and shifts in weather patterns causing floods in some areas and droughts in others.

The UN weather agency said last week that 2014 could be the hottest year on record.