S. Arabia backs down from blocking UN climate report: sources

Oil giant Saudi Arabia backed down at the last minute Saturday from obstructing the adoption of a major report by the UN's climate science panel, sources told AFP. With the threat removed, the meeting of the 195-nation panel in Incheon, South Korea -- deep into overtime -- swiftly approved the report on how to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), and what a 1.5C world might look like. The Saudis had objected to the inclusion of a passage emphasising the need for sharp reductions in the use of fossil fuels -- Saudi Arabia's main export.