CNN news 2011-12-15 加文本

cnn news 2011-12-15

AZUZ: Well, it wasn`t too bright for a little while on Saturday night. In fact, the moon seemed to disappear from sight altogether.

AZUZ (voice-over): That`s what happens during a lunar eclipse. It`s when the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon, and the Earth`s shadow makes the moon disappear. An iReporter caught the entire thing in a time-lapse video from Portland, Oregon -- this is kind of cool.

Experts say the U.S. West Coast had the best view of the eclipse. If you missed it, you don`t have to wait too long for a repeat performance. The next lunar eclipse is scheduled to happen in 2014.

AZUZ (voice-over): Earlier on Saturday, volunteers worked on a project called "Wreaths Across America." It`s been going on for 20 years. Volunteers get together and lay holiday wreaths on the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and in more than 500 other cemeteries around the United States and overseas.

Family members, military veterans, Cub Scout troops, anyone can do this. The organization that coordinates the wreath layings has three goals: remembering the lives that have been lost, honoring the people who are serving in the military right now and teaching young people about the sacrifices made by veterans and their families.

AZUZ: Representatives from around the world have agreed to keep fighting the challenges of climate change. They reached a deal during a conference in South Africa this week. Some critics say the new agreement won`t do enough to address the issue.

AZUZ (voice-over): Most of the officials who were at the conference are happy with it. Robyn Curnow fills us in on the details.

ROBYN CURNOW, cnn REPORTER (voice-over): It started with a plea and a prayer.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU: Whether you are rich or poor, this is the only home. And if we destroy this home, we have had it.

GROUP: Climate justice now. Climate justice now. Climate justice now.

CURNOW (voice-over): A weekend at a protest march outside the climate change conference, activists rallied for deals to be signed that would limit carbon emissions to less dangerous levels.

CURNOW: For two weeks now, delegates from nearly 200 countries have been talking about climate change. They haven`t been here on the beach. They`ve been locked up in meeting rooms in the conference hall. And now they`ve come to a decision.

MAITE EMILY NKOANA-MASHABANE, SOUTH AFRICA`S MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION: We have indeed saved tomorrow today. Once.

CURNOW (voice-over): For the first time, the world`s biggest polluters have signed up to a global pact on climate change.

CHRIS HUHNE, MP FOR EASTLEIGH AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE: First of all, we`re committed to getting a long-term overarching agreement in place by 2015, which will kick in by 2020.

CURNOW (voice-over): Also, the Kyoto Protocol was renewed, which increases certainty for the carbon market and provides incentives for new green technology. And progress was made on creating a green climate fund to channel around $100 billion to vulnerable nations to help them deal with the impact of climate change.

ELLIOT DIRINGER, EVP, CENTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS: It was an extraordinarily complex negotiation with a lot of moving parts. Up until the last minute, there was -- there was every reason to think it could well have fallen apart.

So I think the fact that it came together is, in and of itself, a success, even if the outcome doesn`t fully satisfy anybody, and is just an enormous amount of work ahead of us.

CURNOW (voice-over): Activists say the deals aren`t ambitious enough. But after years of failure, many believe there`s now a historic global commitment to tackle climate change -- Robyn Curnow, cnn, Durban, South Africa.

AZUZ: All right. We`re going to wrap things up with some lighthearted humor today.

AZUZ (voice-over): This is an awesome display of lights and decorations. It`s hard for the neighbors to compete. So they didn`t. The creators of the Ditto Display say they`re not being sarcastic. They just can`t keep up with the handpainted decorations and holiday music. They say their "ditto" is designed to pay tribute to the neighbors` hard work. Might not have taken as much time.

AZUZ: . but it`s still a pretty bright idea, and one for which we "did-owe" them some recognition. Ditto -- did owe? Some of you are going to say that was pretty dim but you`re off the hook. That`s going to do it for us today. Enjoy the rest of your Monday, for cnn Student News, I`m Carl Azuz.