Obama says climate deal 'can be a turning point for the world'

President Obama praised the global climate change deal approved by 195 nations at the Paris talks Saturday, Bloomberg News reports.

"This moment can be a turning point for the world." Obama said at the White House. "We've shown that the world has both the willingness and the ability to take on a challenge."

Some environmentalists, along with Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, say the pact to lower emissions doesn't go far enough.

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On the other hand, many Republicans maintain that human activity isn't linked with climate change, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement that he doesn't believe the deal is enforceable.

Obama acknowledged that even if every nation does its part to cut emissions, the pact can only do so much.

"Negotiations that involve nearly 200 nations are always challenging," Obama said. "Even if all the initial targets in Paris are met, we'll only be part of the way there when it comes to reducing carbon from the atmosphere. So we cannot be complacent because of today's agreement."