UN conference recognizes climate deal

Following two difficult weeks of intensive negotiations among representatives of 193 nations, Obama arrived at the talks in the final hours and hammered out a deal in face-to-face meetings with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. A first climate pact in over a decade, reached by the US and major developing nations in Copenhagen climate summit drew criticism from other world leaders and environment activists.Negotiators had struggled all day to find a compromise acceptable to all which could avert the threat of climate change. After hours of negotiations, US President Barack Obama forged a climate pact with major developing nations including China, breaking a deadlock at the talks.All sides conceded the agreement, which fell far short of United Nations ambitions for the talks, was imperfect but said it was a starting point for a coordinated international effort to avert the catastrophic impacts of climate change. The agreement still had to win formal approval from a full meeting of all 193 nations at the talks. Tensions between China and the United States, the world's two biggest emitters, had been particularly acute after Obama -- in a message directed at the Chinese -- said any deal to cut emissions would be empty words on a page unless it was transparent and accountable.In big advances, the deal adds a promise of $100 billion a year to help developing nations from 2020 and promotes the use of forests to soak up carbon dioxide. But it is unclear where the cash will come from.Obama said the compromise deal reached in Copenhagen was a start, but that there was much more work for leaders to do. It is still going to require more work and more confidence building and greater trust between emerging countries, the least developed countries and the developed countries before I think you are going to see another legally binding treaty signed, he said in a short question and answer session with journalists.