Delegates from 195 nations reached an unprecedented agreement on global climate change on Saturday in the French capital, Paris, after two weeks of intense negotiations. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius ended nearly a fortnight of UN negotiations in Paris with the bang of a gavel, marking consensus among the ministers, who stood for several minutes to clap and shout their joy.
“I see the room, I see the reaction is positive, I hear no objection. The Paris climate accord is adopted,” Fabius declared. Turning to a little green hammer with which he formally gave life to the arduously-crafted pact, he quipped: “It may be a small gavel but it can do big things.” The historic deal comes after negotiators from key nations – including China, the United States, and India – gave their approval to a draft accord presented by host France earlier in the day.
The legally binding pact limiting greenhouse gas emissions provides the world a roadmap for breaking away from fossil fuels that have powered the global economy since the Industrial Revolution. The deal, to take effect from 2020, ends decades-long rows between rich and poor nations over how to carry out what will be a multi-trillion-dollar effort to cap global warming and deal with consequences already occurring.
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