LE BOURGET, France — Delegates on Saturday were presented with the final draft of a landmark climate accord that would, for the first time, commit nearly every country to lowering planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions as a way to help stave off the most drastic effects of climate change.
The document was made available midafternoon, after several delays while negotiators wrangled behind the scenes to nail down final details.
Earlier Saturday, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius of France made a formal announcement about the document, which had originally been scheduled to be presented on Friday, after two weeks of intense negotiations at this United Nations summit meeting.
Along with President François Hollande of France and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations, Fabius, who has presided over the assembly, made an emotional appeal to delegates to approve the accord.
"Our text is the best possible balance," he said, "a balance which is powerful yet delicate, which will enable each delegation, each group of countries, with his head held high, having achieved something important.
As top negotiators from countries representing what they call a "high-ambition coalition" walked into the U.N. plenary session shortly before noon Paris time, they were swarmed by cheering, clapping bystanders. The coalition includes a mix of rich countries, such as the United States and members of the European Union; island nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati, which are vulnerable to damage as a result of rising sea levels; and countries with the strongest economies in Latin America, such as Brazil, which have joined to push for ambitious environmental provisions in the deal.
Scientists and world leaders have said the talks here represent the world's last, best hope of striking a deal that would begin to avert the most devastating effects of a warming planet.
Ban has said that there is "no Plan B" if this deal falls apart. The Eiffel Tower was illuminated with that phrase Friday night.
Fabius hopes the document will be approved before a plenary session of 195 parties and the European Union scheduled for later on Saturday.
But it is not yet certain that the draft accord will receive the unanimous support required for it to become legally binding.