Paris climate deal won’t be legally binding says Kerry

The COP21 United Nations climate negotiations will not deliver a legally binding global deal to limit carbon emissions, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry.

According to media reports, Kerry said on Wednesday: “They’re not going to be legally binding reduction targets like Kyoto or something," referring to the 1997 Kyoto protocol committing states to emissions reduction plans.

The UN Climate Change Conference will bring together the 193 UN member states from 30 November to 11 December with the aim of signing a deal to limit greenhouse gas emissions and prevent an increase in average global temperature of 2C above pre-industrial times.

An effective deal could hinge on China and the United States, the world's biggest carbon emitters, signing up to the pledge.

A global poll last week found that China and US citizens were among the least concerned about climate change.