COP27: Agreement made to help countries worst-hit by climate change

Almost 200 countries have agreed to a deal to help nations worst-hit by climate change.

The move, which many countries have been demanding for years, establishes a fund to help these countries cope with the impact of things like rising temperatures and sea levels.

Applause broke out at COP27 in Egypt as the historic fund was approved over the weekend, after negotiations ran through the night.

The deal is based on the key issue of "loss and damage", but details of exactly how it will work are still unclear.

BBC reporter at COP27 Georgina Rannard said, "We are still trying to get more details on what exactly has been agreed here.

"We know it is a decision to set up a fund that should start delivering money next year - money which should go to developing nations and come from developed nations."

What is this new fund to help developing countries all about?

Climate change causes rising temperatures - and in a developing country like Ethiopia this can lead to severe drought

Poorer nations have been calling for this for a long time because they are impacted the most from climate change, but historically caused little to none of the greenhouse gas emissions that warm Earth's atmosphere.

For example the UK has emitted these gases for around 150-200 years since the industrial revolution, burning coal, then oil and gas to fuel economic growth.

But, while climate change will affect the UK, it will not hit as badly as low-lying nations which could be almost wiped out by sea level rises - but those nations barely contribute to emissions.

It's that imbalance that this agreement is trying to change.

UN secretary general António Guterres says the deal is a "much-needed political signal", but warns it will "clearly not be enough".

BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt said the Egyptian hosts of this UN climate conference have achieved something extraordinary, in addressing this issue which has been a cause of conflict since these talks first began 30 years ago.

But he said at the same time they have not raised ambition on tackling the root cause of climate change - the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming our planet.

What is the problem with greenhouse gases and fossil fuels?

In 2015 leaders from 195 countries met to sign the Paris Climate Agreement, which was a commitment that they would keep the global temperature increase "well below" 2C, and to try to limit it to 1.5C.

This figure is the crucial temperature threshold scientists say we cannot go above if we are to avoid the worst of climate change.

The world is now about 1.1C warmer than it was in the 19th Century - and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by 50%.

If nothing is done, scientists say global warming could lead to devastating heatwaves, rising sea levels and the loss of plant and animal species.

At the COP26 conference in Glasgow a deal called the Glasgow Climate Pact was made but there had been criticism that the deal had not gone far enough and will not meet the key summit goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C by the end of the century.

This time the summit seems to have moved this commitment to try to limit the average rise in global temperatures to 1.5C by the year 2100.

One of the other issues at this conference was whether to include stronger pledges on fossil fuels.

Coal was one of the fossil fuels countries agreed to try and use less at COP26 in Glasgow

Last year at COP26 in Glasgow, nations agreed to "phase down" the use of coal - and this year there had been a proposal to expand this to also include the two other major fossil fuels: oil and gas.

The burning of fossil fuels is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change.

But what has been mentioned instead is committing to more "low emissions" energy alongside renewable power as the energy sources of the future.

Some are worried this could be used to justify new fossil fuel development - which is exactly what global climate scientists in the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency advise against.

It could refer to gas, which is often cleaner than oil and coal, but not a renewable fuel like wind or solar.

By introducing a new category of "low-emission" energy, some believe a step has been taken back on what was agreed at the last UN climate conference in Glasgow.

BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt said this means "what could have been a triumph for Egypt is likely to end up being judged a failure".

What has been said about the deal reached at COP27?

António Guterres said he is disappointed at the outcome of this year's event

UN secretary general António Guterres said: "We need to drastically reduce emissions now - and this is an issue this COP did not address."

"A fund for loss and damage is essential - but it's not an answer if the climate crisis washes a small island state off the map - or turns an entire African country to desert.

"The world still needs a giant leap on climate ambition."

Alok Sharma was the COP26 president

The UK's negotiator Alok Sharma, said he was "incredibly disappointed that we weren't able to go further".

"I said in Glasgow that the pulse of 1.5C was weak. Unfortunately, it remains on life support."

James Shaw, New Zealand's climate change minister, said that while he is delighted that the deal on loss and damage was achieved, he also wasn't impressed with about weakening of agreements on fossil fuels.

"I'm pretty disappointed we haven't moved much further than what we got in Glasgow," he said, but is grateful that developed countries "held the line on 1.5C" in the face of "strong attempts by the petrol states to roll back".

Developed countries include those like the UK, US, and Australia, New Zealand and many Asian and European countries, while petrol states are place like Russia and Saudi Arabia, who make a lot of money through selling their oil and gas to other countries.