Deal reached at UN climate talks in Peru

After late-night wrangling at UN climate talks in Peru, negotiators on Sunday reached a compromise deal that sets the stage for a global climate pact in Paris next year. The main goal for the 2-week session in Peruvian capital Lima was relatively modest: Reach agreement on what information should go into the pledges that countries submit for a global climate pact expected to be adopted in Paris. But even that became complicated as several developing nations rebelled against a draft decision they said blurred the distinction between what rich and poor countries can be expected to do. The Lima agreement was adopted hours after a previous draft was rejected by developing countries who accused rich nations of shirking their responsibilities to fight global warming and pay for its impacts. Peru’s environment minister presented a new, 4th draft at midnight and said he hoped it would satisfy all parties, giving a sharply reduced body of remaining delegates an hour to review it. The final draft apparently alleviated those concerns with language saying countries have ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ to deal with global warming. It also restored language demanded by small island states at risk of being flooded by rising seas, mentioning a ‘loss and damage’ mechanism agreed upon in last year’s talks in Poland, according to a news agency.