Although a climate agreement has been signed in Durban. The real question now is- what did they actually agree to and will it be enough. Indian environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan, demanded :

"I wonder if this is an agenda to shift the blame on to countries who are not responsible [for climate change]. I am told that India will be blamed. Please don't hold us hostage. We will give up the principle of equity."

China's negotiator clearly stated the conference members didn't have the right to tell China what to do. While the fact that they came back from the brink of complete failure to sign an accord is good, the accord they agreed to is not good enough, and reflects in it the same issues reverberating around the US and the world about disparity of wealth and the death of the social contract.

"Martin Khor, director of the intergovernmental South Centre in Geneva, said poor countries would be obliged to cut emissions proportionally more than the rich." Celine Charveriat, director of campaigns and advocacy for Oxfam, said: "Negotiators have sent a clear message to the world's hungry: let them eat carbon."

If emissions target cuts are not raised and met before 2020 we will miss the shrinking opportuniity to prevent climate change disaster.

Nnimmo Bassey, chair of Friends of the Earth International:

"Delaying real action till 2020 is a crime of global proportions... This means the world is on track to a 4C temperature rise, a death sentence for Africa, small island states and the poor and vulnerable worldwide. The richest 1% of the world have decided that it is acceptable to sacrifice the 99%."

Read article: Durban climate deal struck after tense all-night sesion. The Guardian l John Vidal, Fiona Harvey 11 December, 2011