PARIS - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said a draft climate pact hammered out after two weeks of talks in Paris was ambitious, balanced and if adopted would be an 'historic turning point' to keeping temperature rises well below 2 degrees Celsius. Cracking with emotion after talks ran into a day of over time, Fabius said the text nearly 200 governments must now endorse constituted 'the best balance possible.' It seeks to keep temperature rises 'well below' 2 degrees Celsius and if possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, Fabius told delegates to loud applause. Another major debate has been over a promise that developed nations should provide $100 billion to help poorer nations deal with the consequences of climate change. Fabius said the draft text would set that figure as a floor by 2020.
