Will Cancun Agreements Help Save the Planet?

The U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancún came to a close early Saturday morning after 193 countries signed on to a modest agreement to combat climate change. The deal, known as the Cancún Agreements, commits all major economies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions but does not lay out how far overall global emissions should be cut.

Researchers from the Climate Action Tracker said the pledges would set the world on course to warm by 3.2 degrees Celsius, which could spell disaster for many of the world's poorest countries on the front lines of climate disruption. The deal also establishes a green climate fund and reaffirms a goal of raising an annual $100 billion in aid for poor countries to combat climate change by 2020.

To better understand the Cancún Agreements, Democracy Now! hosts a debate between Kate Horner, policy analyst at Friends of the Earth, and Andrew Light, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Democracy Now! reported from the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancún all last week. For the transcripts and audio/video podcast, visit Democracy Now!. Click here for our complete coverage of the climate change talks. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.