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      Final Draft Of Landmark Climate Change Deal Released, Vote Expected

   by Luis Ramirez

   Negotiators at a long-awaited climate conference in Paris have released
   the final draft of an ambitious plan to slow global warming, following
   almost two weeks of strenuous negotiations.

   The text released early Saturday still must receive final approval from
   the delegates of the over 190 nations gathered at the conference, but
   diplomats expect that to come as early as later in the afternoon.

   If approved, the proposal could represent a major breakthrough in a
   decades-long global attempt to curb emissions of fossil fuels that
   scientists say are causing global temperatures to rise dangerously.

   ''The pact attempts to balance the interests of richer, developed
   nations and poorer, developing countries, many of which have insisted
   they should not be held to as high an environmental standard.

   There were also lingering questions about how to verify the agreement,
   which is not legally binding.

   On Friday, talks were extended an extra day as teams from 196 countries
   aim to reach the most wide-ranging climate deal since the 1997 Kyoto
   protocol, this time involving not only industrialized nations, but also
   developing countries in a global effort to deal with climate change.

   At the time, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a lot of progress
   has been made at the U.N. climate talks in Paris, but some "very
   difficult" issues must be resolved.

   ''Optimism

   Kerry met Friday with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius after what
   sources said was a hard night of negotiations among the 195 nations at
   the Paris meetings.

   Fabius said he was optimistic for an agreement.

   "All the conditions are there for us to reach a universal, ambitious
   agreement," said Fabius. "Now it's the ministers' responsibility to
   make their choice tomorrow [Saturday]."

   U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the talks as "extremely
   difficult" as he urged delegates to put aside national concerns for the
   good of the entire planet.

   "This is not a moment for talking about national perspectives. Good
   global solutions will help good local solutions," said Ban.

   'The biggest disagreements have been over how much financial
   responsibility poorer nations should take in the cost of
   emissions-cutting measures, and what the stated long-term goal should
   be for the agreement.

   But a Chinese representative said the deal should have different rules
   for different countries, calling the demand "quite legitimate" if some
   populations want to maintain a certain lifestyle.

   Global temperatures

   Earlier world climate conferences had set a goal of keeping the rise in
   global temperatures this century to two degrees (Celsius) above
   worldwide levels before the industrial era started.

   However, newer research has indicated that a lower target - such as
   limiting the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees - would be preferable.

   Island nations contend that the rise in sea levels triggered by higher
   global temperature puts at risk their very existence.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/final-draft-of-landmark-climate-chang
   e-deal-released-vote-expected/3100115.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/final-draft-of-landmark-climate-change-deal-released-vote-expected/3100115.html