Government negotiators from nearly 200 countries have adopted a new deal on climate action at the COP26 Glasgow summit, after a last-minute intervention by India to water down the language on cutting emissions from coal.
Several countries including small island states said they were deeply disappointed by the move to "phase down," rather than "phase out" coal power, the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Other nations described the revision as odious and against the rules, but said it was something they had to accept to bring the two weeks of United Nations climate talks in Scotland to a close.
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Before India succeeded in getting the change made, nation after nation talked about the final provisions not going far or fast enough, but a compromise was better than nothing and provided progress, if not success.
Negotiators say the agreement is aimed at keeping alive the overarching goal of limiting warming to 1.5C since pre-industrial times. The world has already warmed 1.1C.
Ahead of the talks in Glasgow, Scotland, the UN had set three criteria for success, and none of them were achieved.
The UN's criteria included pledges to cut carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030, US$100 billion ($136.4 billion) in financial aid from rich nations to poor, and ensuring that half of that money went to helping the developing world adapt to the worst effects of climate change.
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A rich-poor divide widened at the UN summit in recent days, with developing nations complaining about not being heard.
But when the representative from Guinea, speaking for 77 poorer nations and China, said his group could live with the general results, negotiators applauded.
Small island nations that are vulnerable to catastrophic effects of climate change and had pushed for bolder actions in Glasgow said they were satisfied with the spirit of compromise, if not outcome of the talks.
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