Ministers at COP21 will today begin discussions on an approved draft deal that was drawn up over the weekend.
The 48-page document is to be debated by ministers as the event enters its second week, with a comprehensive and binding settlement hoped for by the week close.
Delegates from 195 UN countries worked through the night on Friday to come up with the draft paper in Paris before a Saturday midday deadline which was imposed by COP21 president Laurent Fabius.
French climate ambassador Laurence Tubiana said: “Nothing has been decided and nothing will be left behind.
“The paper marks the will to reach an agreement but we are not at the end of the route. Major political issues are yet to be resolved.”
One point of contention is the fact some developing nations want to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, but others, including China – the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases – is among those preferring a mere promise to shift to a “low carbon economy this century.”
“All the difficult political issues remain unsolved and will be solved by the ministers,” European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said. “It’s easier to get a weak agreement than a strong agreement.”
Image: United Nations
COP21: Draft deal on the table
Draft document approved but 'major political issues' yet to be resolved
By EBS