United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon on Monday told environment ministers from around the world that "half-measures" to forge a concrete deal will not be able to prevent a looming "climate catastrophe". Addressing the UN climate change conference in Paris, Ban said that the world is calling for a transformative agreement. He added that Paris must put the world on track for long-term peace, stability and prosperity. "The decisions you make here will reverberate down the ages," he said.

Indian environment minister Prakash Javadekar joined his world counterparts to deliberate on the 48-page draft agreement delivered last week by negotiators, with key issues still left unresolved, reported PTI. With the 12-day conference entering its final week, negotiators appeared confident that some kind of deal will be reached before the next weekend. The aim is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change, and keep global warming below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.