After two weeks of negotiations, 195 countries approved an agreement that would eliminate the world off fossil fuel, limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius (2ºC), with a  target of 1.5ºC.

This is the first successful end to a global climate summit after two decades of failed negotiations.

European Union Ambassador for the Pacific, Andrew Jacobs said this was a historic agreement.

“We have achieved such good results because of the commitment of everybody,” Mr Jacobs said.

“This was really the time Pacific leaders were heard and it was a very co-ordinated effort for the Pacific and I congratulate Fiji on the work done by Ambassador Yauvoli, the Prime Minister and the others who were part of Conference of the Parties in Paris,” he said.

Each country has created its own carbon emissions reductions targets and deadlines. The final text of the agreement legally requires all countries to report their progress every five years, with the goal of incrementally stepping up ambition across the board.

The final accord is an explicit long-term goal of net-zero carbon emissions, to be met sometime in the latter half of the 21st Century.

Edited by Maikeli Seru

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