Negotiations are still tense in search of a climate agreement

Negotiations for a potentially historic agreement at the United Nations Climate Summit (COP27) in Egypt continued throughout Saturday night (11/19).

He extended the Sharm el-Sheikh conference, which lasted two weeks, after no agreement was reached on Friday.

The question of who will pay for the “losses and damages” caused by climate change has been the biggest point of contention between countries.

And although negotiators said Saturday night that had been resolved, no comprehensive agreement was announced.

Egypt, the host of the event, said it wanted to seal the deal before the end of the night, but negotiators told reporters that an agreement was still a long way off and that they were preparing for another long night.

These peaks are regularly crossed – and COP27 is on track to become one of the tallest ever.

Negotiations continued even after the event site was dismantled, and representatives of some countries had already left, according to reports.

The main dispute revolves around a dedicated “loss and damage” fund to offset the effects of climate change, which developing countries have been calling for for decades.

If an agreement is reached, it will be a historic victory for these countries, which could help ease the burden of events such as the recent floods in Pakistan and Nigeria.

In a dramatic move, the European Union said Thursday night (17/11) that it may agree to it under some conditions – which have proven controversial.

The EU has argued that everyone who can afford it should contribute to the fund, including larger emerging economies such as China, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

This raised fundamental questions for the United Nations about the definition of developing countries.

The commitment made 30 years ago stated that rich countries must do more to reduce carbon emissions.

But the scenario has changed a lot since then, and some developing countries are getting richer? and much larger contributors to emissions.

US representatives said they are working on proposals at the conference to help developing countries address the costs of climate change.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Climate Minister Sherry Rehman said negotiators are close to a positive outcome.

Other issues still on the table included targets over fuel fossils.

Last year at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland — which also lasted longer than expected — countries agreed to gradually “cut back” their use of coal.

There is now a proposal to extend this to also oil and gas.

There are concerns about whether the target of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial times will be maintained.

The United Nations says that a rise in temperatures above this level will expose millions of people to potentially devastating climate impacts.

– This text was published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63692018