The UN climate conference narrowly escaped collapse by agreeing Saturday to recognize a political accord brokered by President Obama with China and other emerging powers. The decision was made after an all-night plenary session in which a small group of nations, including Bolivia, Cuba, Sudan and Venezuela, stridently opposed accepting the Copenhagen Accord because it lacks specific targets for reducing carbon emissions.
After a break, the conference president gaveled the decision to "take note" of the agreement instead of formally approving it. Experts said that clears the way for the accord to become operational in practice even though it has not been approved. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he's "aware that this is just the beginning" of a process to craft a binding pact to rein in greenhouse gas emissions. Still, he said the Copenhagen Agreement "will have an immediate operational effect." (More Copenhagen stories.)
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