Climate negotiators from more than 190 nations agreed this weekend on a draft plan to address climate change by reining in greenhouse gas emissions at a conference in Lima, Peru.

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at the Lima conference Thursday.

The Associated Press

Under the terms of the so-called Lima Accord, governments have a March 31 deadline to enact domestic laws cutting carbon emissions and submit their plans for addressing climate change. Those measures are expected to lay the groundwork for a final international climate accord at a global summit in Paris next December.

Climate scientists around the world say countries must keep the global average temperature from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius to avoid catastrophe.

“A global climate agreement is now within reach,” Jennifer Morgan, global director of the climate program at the World Resources Institute, said in a statement. “While more hard work remains, negotiators found common ground on the most pressing issues. This emerging agreement represents a new form of international cooperation.”



The accord, reached just before 2 a.m. Sunday, came amid stiff opposition from developing countries wary that environmental measures would hamper their economic growth, and followed round-the-clock negotiations that stretched past the formal close of the conference Friday.

It marks the first time every nation at an international climate conference, rich or poor, has agreed to reduce its carbon emissions. Yet bringing so many nations aboard also meant defanging the accord – countries will face no formal consequences for blowing the March 31 deadline or another set for June.



“It’s no surprise that in Lima a lot of developing countries pushed back,” Elliot Diringer, executive vice president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, said in a statement. “Striking a new balance between developed and developing nations will clearly be one of the toughest pieces next year in Paris. ”

Activists perform as heads of state, from left, President Barack Obama, Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, China's President Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe outside the Lima conference Friday. The boat's sign reads in Spanish "Leave behind emissions. Climatic agreement."

The Associated Press

President Barack Obama has made addressing climate change a central part of his second term, using his executive authority through the Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Department and other cabinet agencies to support clean-energy technologies and reduce carbon emissions. Most notably, the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan, unveiled June 2, would be the first federal law to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants.

Last month, Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached what they called a “historic” climate agreement, with each agreeing to halt the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in China’s first-ever commitment to do so.

“The U.S.-China announcement hinted at a fundamental shift putting developed and developing countries on a more equal footing,” Diringer said. “What’s most important now is for other countries to declare their contributions to the Paris agreement. As long as others follow the lead of the U.S., China and the European Union, we should have a decent shot at a meaningful global deal.”