德班气候变化谈判大会

The 194-party conference has agreed to start negotiations on a new accord that will put all countries under the same legal regime enforcing commitments to control greenhouse gases. It will take effect by 2020 at the latest. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane is South Africa's foreign minister and the Durban conference president.

"It is my assessment that we have reached an agreement on the four elements of the package - the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, a decision on the work of the AWG-LCA, a decision on the Green Climate Funds and an agreement on the Durban platform."

The deal does not explicitly compel any nation to set emissions targets, although most emerging economies have volunteered to curb an increase in their emissions.

Currently, only industrial countries have legally binding emissions targets under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The accord also set up the bodies that will collect, govern and distribute tens of billions of dollars a year for poor countries.

Xie Zhenhua, head of the Chinese delegation to the conference, said he hopes developing countries will get financial support from the Green Climate Fund next year.

"The outcome is fully in accordance with the mandate of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Roadmap, the two-track negotiation process and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. We are happy about the Green Climate Fund established at the conference; and we hope developing countries will get financial support next year."

Xie added that political sincerity from developed country is needed next year in Qatar, to achieve the completion of the Kyoto Protocol's second commitment period negotiation, and to enhance emission reduction commitment level and implement finance and technology transfer commitment.

Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, is happy about the deal.

"We think we had the right strategy. We think that it worked. And the very good thing is that now all big economies, all parties, will have to commit in the future in a legal way."

The proposed Durban platform offers answers to problems that have bedeviled global warming negotiations for years about sharing the responsibility for controlling carbon emissions and helping the world's poorest and most climate-vulnerable nations cope with the changing forces of nature.

For CRI, this is Wang Ling.