A new draft agreement at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow has stepped up calls on governments to urgently tackle climate change.
It asks countries to reveal their plans to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a much faster speed than previously.
But it softens commitments to reduce use of coal and other fossil fuels.
It also asks countries to strengthen their support for poorer countries fighting climate change.
The deal must be agreed by all countries at the meeting.
Negotiations could go late into Friday or longer. The UN meeting is seen as crucial to limiting the worst effects of global warming.
On Friday the UN chief Antonio Guterres said COP26 would probably not achieve its aims and the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C is on “life support”.
Scientists say that limiting warming to 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels will protect us from the most dangerous impacts of climate change – it is a key part of the Paris agreement that most countries signed up to.
Meeting the goal requires global emissions to be cut by 45% by 2030 and to zero overall by 2050.
One example of the impact of global temperature rise above 2C is the death of virtually all coral reefs, scientists say.
The draft agreement – also called a “cover decision” – is the second version released this week. Governments and representatives have been negotiating details of the first draft published on Wednesday.
A key sticking point was climate finance – the money promised by richer countries to poorer countries to fight climate change. It is controversial because developed countries are responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions but developing countries see the worst effects of climate change.
Rich countries ‘pushing back’ on paying for climate loss
Despite the promises made at COP26 so far, the planet is still heading for 2.4C of warming above pre-industrial levels, according to a report by Climate Action Tracker.
Source: BBC
