In the early hours of yesterday morning the big polluters – EU, China, India, and US -- agreed for the first time to work on a legally enforceable treaty that will be finalised by 2015 and enacted by 2020. Some have heralded the last-minute agreement at Durban as a ‘historic deal’ which will save the planet for the next generation. But others have expressed dismay at the outcome, saying that negotiators ‘won’t be able to look into the eyes of their children and grandchildren’, with the new ‘Durban Platform’ delaying the urgent action that is required to cut emissions.

The Guardian reported reactions to the Durban climate deal, and a ‘glass half full’ view from Michael Jacobs with a ‘glass half empty’ analysis from Damian Carrington.

Business Green covers some of the key decisions reached in Durban which include:

• the agreement to launch a new process to develop a ‘legal instrument or agreed outcome’ by 2015 with implementation by 2020 and including all countries 

• agreement to establish an extension of Kyoto Protocol beginning in Jan 2013

• formation of the new $100bn Green Climate Fund

Lord Stern, speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, welcomed the agreement as a significant step forward but warned that it doesn’t move quickly enough and that any delay is dangerous.

Lang Banks writes in his final WWF Durban Diary blog, “we must be under no illusion - the outcome of Durban leaves us with the prospect of being legally bound to a world of 4C warming. This would be catastrophic for people and the natural world.”

The 'Durban Platform' covers all countries and all emissions; this has never been done in more than 20 years of climate negotiations. Whilst its good news that an agreement has been reached, the science is telling us that we need to move faster. Hopefully the Durban Platform will give us something solid to build on, and quickly.