John Kerry, US climate envoy, backed the draft climate agreement under consideration at the UN summit in Glasgow. This comes on the heels of India and other nations’ pushback on coal. To the conference participants, Kerry said that while every country would be uncomfortable with some part of a possible deal, “we all know the adage of negotiations: you can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And this is good. It is a powerful statement.”

He added saying that climate change was an issue that has allowed countries like the United States and China to rise above disagreements on other matters and come together for the common good.

He said: “Not everyone in public life…gets to make choices about life and death. Not everyone gets to make choices that actually affect an entire planet. We here are privileged today to do exactly that.”

Earlier, India’s environment minister Bhupendra Yadav told negotiators that there was no consensus on key issues that blamed “unsustainable lifestyles and wasteful consumption patterns” in rich countries for causing global warming. He further sought to block effort to include references to phasing out coal and fossil fuel subsidies in a deal proposed at this year’s UN climate summit.

He said developing countries were “entitled to the responsible use of fossil fuels.”

In reply, European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans warned that negotiators were “at risk of stumbling in this marathon a couple of meters before reaching the finish line.”

“For heaven’s sake, don’t kill this moment,” Timmermans said.

“Please embrace this text so that we bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren.”

Earlier Saturday, the negotiators in Glasgow went over fresh proposals for sealing a deal that they hoped could be credibly said to advance worldwide efforts to tackle global warming.

The latest draft agreement expresses “alarm and utmost concern that human activities have caused around 1.1C (2F) of global warming to date and that impacts are already being felt in every region.”