Weak climate deal salvaged at U.N. talks in Peru

LIMA, Peru — Nearly 200 countries salvaged a weak climate agreement Sunday in which each nation pledged to come up with a plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

But, delegates to the United Nations talks delayed decisions on other measures that could have a significant impact on global warming.

The deal — agreed to 33 hours behind schedule — barely keeps hope alive for a meaningful global agreement in Paris a year from now. Arguments over the wording of the rulebook for pledges that countries will submit ahead of that meeting took up much of the delegates' time Saturday.

The delegates concluded that a weak agreement that avoided pledges on strict emissions reductions was better than no deal at all.

A final draft alleviated concerns by developing nations that the language didn't distinguish what rich and poor countries will be expected to achieve. The final version states nations have "common but differentiated responsibilities" to deal with global warming.

Progress in Lima — where the conference started Dec. 1 — was mostly technical, setting out guidelines for financial contributions, actions to reduce emissions and a timetable for the period leading up to the Paris talks.

The U.S. played a more engaged role than in past summits, at one point calling on delegates to approve an early less-than-perfect draft of a Paris text despite in order to foster progress in 2015.

"We don't have time for more lengthy negotiations," Stern said. "I believe we will live to regret it if we allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good."

But approving language for the 2015 treaty was pushed back to next year.

Still, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Peru's environment minister and the conference president, and Christiana Figueres, the U.N.'s top climate official, proclaimed the talks a success.

"A lot of good work was done in Lima," Laurent Fabius, France's foreign minister, said in a briefing. "But it left at least a little work to be done in Paris."

Stern's comments built upon an increasingly strong U.S. stance on climate issues. President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a bilateral climate agreement at the Group of 20 summit a month ago, and the president promised to provide $3 billion to help poor countries to adapt to climate change this year. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unexpected stop at the Lima talks, which already included an address by former vice president Al Gore.

"The U.S. is now being seen as being credible when it comes to climate change," Laurence Tubiana, the French diplomat who will preside over next year's conference in Paris, said. "For the world, it is a welcome development."

Contributing: Associated Press