Paris climate deal is 'best chance to save planet'

He said it could be a "turning point" towards a low-carbon future.

China, the world's biggest polluter, also hailed the deal, as did India. But some campaigners said it did not go far enough to protect the planet.

The Paris pact aims to curb global warming to less than 2C (3.6F) by the end of the century.

Nearly 200 countries took part in tense negotiations in the French capital over two weeks, striking the first deal to commit all nations to cut emissions.

The agreement - which is partly legally binding and partly voluntary - will come into being in 2020.

Describing the agreement as "ambitious", President Obama said: "Together, we've shown what's possible when the world stands as one."

"In short, this agreement will mean less of the carbon pollution that threatens our planet and more of the jobs and economic growth driven by low-carbon investments."

However, Mr Obama admitted that the pact was not "perfect".

China's chief negotiator Xie Zhenhua agreed that the Paris plan was not ideal. But he added that "this does not prevent us from marching historical steps forward".

China earlier said rich developed countries needed to offer more financial support to developing countries.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there were "no winners or losers".

"Climate justice has won and we are all working towards a greener future," he tweeted.

Giza Gaspar Martins, the chairman of the group representing some of the world's poorest countries, said: "It is the best outcome we could have hoped for, not just for the Least Developed Countries, but for all citizens of the world," he said.

But Nick Dearden, director of campaign group Global Justice Now, said: "It's outrageous that the deal that's on the table is being spun as a success when it undermines the rights of the world's most vulnerable communities and has almost nothing binding to ensure a safe and liveable climate for future generations."

An organisation of business leaders that pushes for industry to be more sustainable, WBCSD, said, in a tweet, that the agreement shows "the transition to a low carbon economy is unstoppable".

Some aspects of the agreement are legally binding, such as the obligation on individual countries to set an emissions reduction target and the regular review of that goal.

However, the targets themselves will not be legally binding under the Paris deal.

Key points

The measures in the agreement included:

• To peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century

• To keep global temperature increase "well below" 2C (3.6F) and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C

• To review progress every five years

• $100bn a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance in the future.

(BBC)