US President Barack Obama on Saturday hailed the landmark climate accord reached in Paris as strong and historic, calling it the best chance to save the planet from the effects of global climate change.

“Today the American people can be proud because this historic agreement is a tribute to American leadership. Over the past seven years, we’ve transformed the United States into the global leader in fighting climate change,” Mr Obama said.

He said the accord shows what is possible when the world stands as one, adding: “This agreement represents the best chance we have to save the one planet that we’ve got.”

Speaking at the White House hours after the deal was completed, Mr Obama said that “no agreement is perfect, including this one,” and that negotiations that involve nearly 200 nations are always challenging.

“Even if all the initial targets set in Paris are met, we’ll only be part of the way there when it comes to reducing carbon from the atmosphere,” Mr Obama added.

Mr Obama has made combating global climate change a top priority of his presidency but has encountered stiff resistance to his proposals from Republicans in Congress.

Republican Jim Inhofe, a global warming skeptic who heads the Senate environment and public works committee, said the climate deal was “no more significant to the United States” than the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the last major climate deal.

Unlike the Kyoto pact, forged with Democratic President Bill Clinton in office, the Paris agreement will not be a fully legally binding treaty, which would almost certainly fail to pass in the US Congress.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon termed the Paris pact a “monumental triumph” for planet Earth that will set the stage for achieving an end to poverty and development for all.

“In the face of an unprecedented challenge, you have demonstrated unprecedented leadership,” the UN Secretary-General said, taking the COP21 stage just minutes after the adoption of the agreement. “You have worked collaboratively to achieve something that no one nation could achieve alone. This is a resounding success for multilateralism.”

Recalling that he made climate change one of the defining priorities of his tenure, Mr Ban said that most of all, he has listened to people — the young, the poor and the vulnerable — including indigenous peoples, from every corner of the globe.

“They seek protection from the perils of a warming planet, and the opportunity to live in a safer, more bountiful world,” he said.

— Reuters,PTI