Key states have reached what they call a meaningful agreement at the Copenhagen climate summit.
EU Commision Spokesperson: A deal is better than no deal. What could be agreed today, falls far below our expectations but It keeps our goals and ambitions alive. It addresses the needs of developing countries. It was the only deal available in Copenhagen.
US President Obama: "For the first time in history all major economies have come together to accept their responsibility to take action to confront the threat of climate change. Going forward we're going to have to build on the momentum that we've established here in Copenhagen to ensure that international action to significantly reduce emissions is sustained and sufficient over time. We've come a long way but we have much further to go. To continue moving forward we must draw on the effort that allowed us to succeed here today - engagement among nations that represent a baseline of mutual interest and mutual respect.
US President Barack Obama said the deal would be a foundation for global action but there was "much further to go".
He said the US, China, Brazil, India and South Africa had "agreed to set a mitigation target to limit warming to no more than 2C and, importantly, to take action to meet this objective".
He added: "We are confident that we are moving in the direction of a significant accord."
Barack Obama, the US president, admitted such an outcome was not ideal but urged the world to accept it, given the terrifying cost of disunity.
"I am sure many consider this an imperfect framework ... no country would get everything that it wants," he said. "The question is whether we will move forward together, or split apart."
The text of the deal has dropped all mention from the previous draft that said negotiations on a legally binding treaty would have to be completed by the end of 2010. The new text sticks to previous goals, including one of limiting world temperature rises to a maximum rise of two celsius above pre-industrial times. "We shall, recognising the scientific view that the increase in global temperature should be below two degrees and in the context of sustainable development, enhance our long-term co-operative action to combat climate change," the draft accord says.
But the document leaves blank key elements such as the depth of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions expected of developed nations by 2020 and does not say which countries will be legally obliged to cut emissions by how much or when.
The accord simply states early on in the text that "ambitious action to mitigate climate change is needed with developed countries taking the lead".
Although it says that "deep cuts" in emissions are needed to reach a goal of cutting global emission by 50 per cent by 2050, specific limits of greenhouse gas emissions for the coming years were still to be set.
Source: Many, many sources on the internet
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