World governments are to negotiate a new legally binding climate agreement by 2015, to enter into force in 2020, An agreement to do so finally emerged from the latest marathon round of UN climate talks ? in Durban, South Africa, which ended more than a day late on 11 December. The longest UN climate conference ever was heralded as a success by negotiators, but received mixed reactions from NGOs. They pointed out that it postponed any increase in emission-reduction commitments by nearly a decade. The EU played a central role in the final deal. An exhausted-looking Connie Hede-gaard, the EU climate commissioner, hailed it as an "historic breakthrough" at her final press conference in the early hours of Sunday morning. "With the agreement on a roadmap towards a new legal framework by 2015, that will involve all countries in combating climate change, the EU has achieved its key goal for Durban," she said.
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