Greenpeace: Fossil Fuel Industry to Plot Against Climate Change Deal

Christiana Figueres, chief of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, insisted that an worldwide accord fighting global warming should include legally binding parts, and said it's impossible to quantify how much it will cost the world to clean up and protect populations affected by climate change.

Pacific Island nations, including Kiribati, have urged Australia and New Zealand to back a stronger stance but both nations refused to sign a communique to that effect at this year's Pacific Islands Forum in Papua New Guinea.

Penn, speaking Saturday on the sidelines of the United Nations climate talks outside of Paris, says he's hoping to help make Haiti "a model of reforestation" through a 10-year plan.

Foreign ministers have gathered in Paris in order to try to reach a deal that would address problems concerning climate change.

But no-one in Le Bourget is under the illusion that a December 11 deal is guaranteed.

The 2009 Copenhagen summit failed to reach a treaty to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the climate.

Despite being riddled with conflicting proposals on most key points, the 21-page draft accord, which was drawn up in 4 years of tough talks is the skeleton if what has been described as the most complex and consequential global accord ever attempted.

There is still no agreement on fundamental issues: how fast and how far to slash greenhouse gas emissions; who shoulders most of the burden and, critically, who should pay.

Analysts said any deal emerging from Paris is likely to fall short of what is needed to cap global warming at 2.0 degrees Celsius or below.

United Nations special envoy for cities and climate and former NY city mayor, Michael Bloomberg, left, talks with U.S. actor and climate campaigner Robert Redford prior to an interview at the Paris city Hall, France, as part of th...

But there are major points of dispute on this issue, such as when the stocktakes would happen and if they should actually seek to strengthen countries' commitments or just review them. A majority of nations, mostly the smaller ones, want to aim for 1.5 degrees C.

Money has always been one of the biggest sticking points in the United Nations negotiations, and it remains so in Paris.

"Loss and damage" is the idea that compensation should be paid to vulnerable states for climate-related events that they can not adapt to.

The negotiations have made little concrete progress due to sharp disagreements on most issues, including financing to developing nations and transfer of technology.

Some developing nations want to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, for instance, but China is among those preferring to promise merely to shift to a low-carbon economy this century. At stake is hundreds of billions of dollars that would need to start flowing from 2020.

And it adds that the agreement will be implemented in a way that takes into account differences in responsibilities and capabilities, as well as human rights and gender equality.

Negotiators from 195 countries in Paris on Saturday agreed to a tentative deal to reduce global carbon emissions, CNN reported.