Final text for climate change deal 'to be presented within hours'

Updated

The final text for an international climate change deal should be presented later this morning, after countries worked through the night to secure agreement.

Ministers from more than 190 countries have been engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" and diplomatic wrangling to find common ground for the agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises to avoid dangerous climate change.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who is chairing the talks, had said the final draft of the text would be presented at 9am Paris time, but that timing has slipped a little to 11.30am (10.30 GMT), as the talks overrun from their official Friday finish in the bid to get a deal.

Negotiators are expected to have a few hours to study the text before it goes to an open meeting of all the countries gathered at the United Nations talks in Paris, with the hope the agreement can then be adopted.

If adopted, it will be the world's first comprehensive climate agreement with all countries taking action to tackle the problem.

It is thought that negotiators are generally upbeat about the deal, which will set long term targets for curbing global warming and provide finance for poor countries to develop cleanly and cope with the impacts of rising temperatures.

The final agreement could include references to making efforts to keep temperature rises to no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels - a key ask of the most vulnerable countries who fear greater warming could threaten their very survival - as many countries were thought to be "comfortable" with the idea.

As the talks overran, key sticking points had emerged between countries, including the level of ambition of greenhouse gas emissions cuts and preventing rising temperatures.

Finance for poor countries to deal with climate change and the different responsibilities of developed and developing countries to tackle climate change and pay for it, were also key.

And the issue of "loss and damage" - the recognition that some of the most vulnerable countries need support to cope with irreversible impacts such as inundation of their land from rising sea levels - has been hugely difficult at the talks.

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