Climate change pact: PM says no winners or losers

The outcome of the Paris agreement has no winners or losers; climate justice has won, he said.

Obama acknowledged that “no agreement is flawless, including this one”.

Ebtekar highlighted the need for the accord to be equitable and inclusive, deeming the participation of over 180 nations in reaching the agreement the “greatest global agreement” and a “remarkable victory” for multilateralism and moderation. “Together we’ve shown what’s possible when the world stands as one”.

Euronews reporter Grégoire Lory, who has been covering the COP21 conference, said: “Because it’s a compromise, certain ambitions were lowered or put aside, but nobody is hiding their joy after the adoption of the first universal agreement on climate”. “Unfortunately, this won’t stop the president from pursuing a domestic climate agenda that will raise energy prices on American families, but will have no impact on the climate”. Two degrees could already be irreversibly dangerous-scientists don’t know, for example, exactly when the entire Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets will melt, events that could trigger calamitous sea level rise and a fundamental shift in the world’s climate system. “Even if you don’t live around the Bay, if you like electricity and plumbing, this matters to you. Over the past seven years, we’ve transformed the United States into the global leader in fighting climate change”.

Top Republicans in Congress dismissed the pact as nothing more than a long-term planning document and said that Obama was making promises he won’t be able to keep in the months and years ahead.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the deal, saying it will oblige the entire global community to act against global climate change.

MONEY: The agreement says wealthy countries should continue to offer financial support to help poor countries reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

The deal, which Mr Obama called a “turning point”, promises to become a major part of the president’s legacy.

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron said the agreement was a historic global deal.

Hollande told delegates in Paris on Saturday that “you did it!”

“Successive generations will, I am sure, mark the 12 December 2015 as a date when cooperation, vision, responsibility, a shared humanity and a care for our world took centre stage”, she said.

China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said the agreement saw the nations of the world “marching historic steps forward”. “It is the most handsome and the most peaceful revolution that has just been accomplished”, he said after the landmark deal was inked by 195 nations.