How a single word could've derailed the entire climate change pact
Nearly every nation in the world approved a historic climate change deal Saturday, but getting to that point wasn't easy. One last-minute quibble was over a single word, Politico explains:
Obama administration lawyers discovered early in the day that the latest draft text had a potentially deal-killing tweak: Deep into the document, in Article 4, was a line declaring that wealthier countries "shall" set economy-wide targets for cutting their greenhouse gas pollution. [Politico]
"When I looked at that, I said, 'We cannot do this and we will not do this,'" Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters. "'And either it changes or President Obama and the United States will not be able to support this agreement.'"
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