CBI backs Paris climate deal and calls for United Kingdom action

US President Barack Obama called the agreement a “turning point for the world” and said it sent powerful signal that the world was firmly committed to a low-carbon future. “In Paris, there have been many revolutions over the centuries”.

Obama said the world leaders meeting in Paris “met the moment” and that people can be more confident “the planet will be in better shape for the next generation”.

“The phrase “historical responsibility” has been erased from the agreement and this weakens the obligations of developed countries to take actions due to there past emissions”, Narain said.

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.

“To achieve big things as there are languages and many issues, when 196 countries are putting their efforts together, one needs to be accommodative without changing the thrust of the agreement”.

Following the adoption of the agreement, China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua said, “The Paris Climate Conference is a crucial point in the global climate governance process”.

The draft Paris decision says they “intend to continue their existing collective mobilization goal through 2025” – in other words continue the $100bn a year, and then by 2025 set a new goal “from a floor of $100bn”.

The United States and other rich nations countered that emerging giants must also do more, arguing developing countries now account for most of current emissions and thus will be largely responsible for future warming.

On the basis of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, developed countries agreed to raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries transform their economies.

The agreement, which is partly legally binding and partly voluntary, will come into being in 2020.

Most Republicans oppose Obama’s unilateral actions on climate change, and many have expressed doubts that humans are responsible for warming temperatures.

In an effort to get countries to scale up their commitments, the agreement will have five-yearly reviews of their pledges starting from 2023.

“Today, we celebrate”, said European Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete after the nations of the COP21 adopted the agreement.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, the Republican chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a climate change skeptic, rebuked the legitimacy of the deal Saturday.