French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented a new draft of a global climate accord that showed headway on some key issues and stalemate on others as negotiators headed into the final stretch of talks outside Paris.
The 27-page draft – two pages shorter than a previous version – included a long-term goal of keeping global warming “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F), while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C.
The draft also said governments would aim to peak the emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases “as soon as possible.” That was weaker language than in previous drafts that included more specific timeframes.
The issue appeared far from settled, however, with one negotiator from a developed country saying his delegation would “push back” on the long-term goal. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were ongoing.
Fabius, who is leading the talks, told negotiators to review the draft and come back in two hours to continue the talks. The Paris conference was scheduled to end on Friday, but the annual U.N. talks rarely finish on time.