LE BOURGET, France (AP) — The latest news from the U.N. climate conference in Paris, which runs through Dec. 11. All times local:
1:40 p.m.
China’s chief negotiator at climate talks outside Paris says that any agreement adopted in the negotiations should be legally binding in its entirety, not just parts of it.
Su Wei told reporters Saturday that if a treaty is adopted at the end of the Paris negotiations, then “all the provisions, starting from the preamble to the final clauses would be legally binding.”
That contrasts with the U.S. position which is for some parts to be legally binding, but not countries’ pledges to limit the greenhouse gas emissions. Binding emissions cuts would likely require the Obama administration to send the deal to the Republican-controlled Congress, where it would likely be struck down.
“We cannot just identify one sentence or one provision or article as not legally binding,” Su said. “That’s a general rule of international treaty laws. There’s no doubt about that.”
After the news conference he indicated the issue was still up for negotiation.
“We have to further discuss … try to find some proper solution,” he said.
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12:10 p.m.
Negotiators have adopted a draft of a global agreement to fight climate change and passed it on to environment and foreign ministers to work out the remaining points of dispute.
The chairman of the working group that had been working on the draft gaveled it just before a noon (1100 GMT) deadline after agreeing to make some cosmetic changes requested by various delegations.
The draft is full of brackets and multiple options, highlighting how a host of sticking points remain to be worked out. Most relate to how to define the obligations of countries in different stages of development in fighting climate change.
Ministers now have a week to negotiate the final outcome.
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11:30 a.m.
As talks on a global climate agreement reach their mid-way point, negotiators are supposed to finish their work on a new draft and hand it over to environment and foreign ministers to work out the remaining disagreements.
The French hosts of the conference have set a noon deadline (1100GMT) for negotiators to come back with a text that can be pushed up to higher-level talks.
Delegates say there are still many unresolved issues, mostly related to how to spell out the obligations of countries in different stages of development in fighting climate change.
Though 184 countries have presented plans to cut or curb emissions of greenhouse gases, many are conditional on financial support from wealthy countries.
One of the sticking points is who pays. The U.S. and other developed countries that have traditionally been the only ones expected to provide climate finance are now asking for the donor base to be expanded to include the most advanced developing countries.
Some members of a developing country bloc are pushing back, saying they’re worried that rich countries are trying to dodge their responsibilities to deal with climate change.
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