SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) 鈥� The European Union鈥檚 climate chief criticized the outcomes of the meeting Sharm el-Sheikh, saying it was 鈥渘ot enough of a step forward for people and planet鈥� and did 鈥渘ot address the yawning gap between climate science and our climate policies.鈥�
Frans Timmermans said the 27-nation bloc had supported the deal in order to ensure the creation of a loss and damage fund, but expressed disappointment that stronger language on cutting emissions hadn鈥檛 been agreed.
鈥淚 urge you to acknowledge, when you walk out of this room, that we have all fallen short in actions to avoid and minimize loss and damage,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e should have done much more.鈥�
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Delegates at the United Nations climate summit in Egypt officially approved a deal on a fund for developing countries vulnerable to climate change made worse by polluting developed nations at a plenary session early Sunday.
An agreement was reached between parties Saturday afternoon.
COP27 President Sameh Shoukry gaveled the decision a little after 4 a.m. on Sunday to a round of applause.
Loss and damage made it on the official agenda for the first time at the summit in Egypt after increasing pressure from developing countries.
Key decisions on phasing out all fossil fuels and keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit agreed during last year's climate summit in Glasgow in the text still hang in the balance.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
鈥� Last minute objections
鈥� Despair, lack of progress at climate talks,
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Ireland鈥檚 environment minister said early Sunday that parties were still awaiting an overarching draft of the U.N. climate summit鈥檚 final document.
鈥淚 think everybody鈥檚 very unhappy that we鈥檙e here, one in the morning, we鈥檙e still waiting for the cover text,鈥� said Eamon Ryan. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 very unusual, to say the least.鈥�
After nations looked set to reach an agreement Saturday afternoon on a deal over funding for countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change, talks appeared to stall that evening and into Sunday on emissions cuts and phasing out fossil fuels.
Delegates and observers were seen sleeping in hallways outside the main plenary building.
Ryan said he wanted to see more 鈥渁mbition鈥� on emissions cuts that would build on pledges made last year to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not satisfied that there鈥檚 been sufficient ambition on reducing emissions, and we鈥檙e going to have to see what further improvements we can get here, but also come back to it,鈥� Ryan said.
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France鈥檚 energy minister said some 鈥渃onfusion鈥� remains over certain wording on an agreement reached by parties earlier Saturday on loss and damage funding for developing countries suffering from the impacts of climate change cause by high-emitting nations.
鈥淭here is a gap between what was understood by some countries, and what was understood by some other countries,鈥� said Agn猫s Pannier-Runacher. 鈥淲hat is reflected in the agreement does not correspond to the common understanding of the document.鈥�
On Saturday afternoon nations were poised for an agreement on a loss and damage fund. It is yet to be ratified.
Pannier-Runacher said countries had agreed to a fund 鈥減articularly dedicated to vulnerable countries鈥� but that wasn鈥檛 reflected in the current text.
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Norway鈥檚 climate and environment minister said people are 鈥渇rustrated鈥� by the lack of progress.
Espen Barth Eide said 鈥渢here were some good spirits鈥� earlier Saturday following a breakthrough on funding for vulnerable countries suffering from the impacts of climate change, known as loss and damage.
But progress stalled on mitigation, or a deal of slashing fossil fuels.
鈥淪ome of us are trying to say that we actually have to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees and that requires some action,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a very strong fossil fuel lobby ... who are trying to block any language that we produce.鈥�
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Papua New Guinea鈥檚 climate envoy said talks are 鈥渘ow in the hands of the presidency to listen and to propose something that will be acceptable by enough of the parties to move it forward.鈥�
Speaking late Saturday, Kevin Conrad said that nations were looking for pledges for tougher cuts on emissions that would be in line with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
鈥淧eople want ambition when it comes to mitigation, and that鈥檚 valid,鈥� he said.
Malcolm Stufkens, the Honduran vice minister of environment agreed that progress on pledges to cap temperature waring needed to be in a final document.
鈥淚 think that it鈥檚 time for us just to deliver and especially keep the 1.5 (Celsius goal),鈥� Stufkens said.
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European officials insisted Saturday that a deal at U.N. climate talks should include a commitment to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) target of the 2015 Paris agreement alive.
鈥淲e need to get a deal on 1.5 degrees. We need strong wording on mitigation and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to push,鈥� said Ireland鈥檚 Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan, who is also the European lead negotiator on loss and damage. Mitigation is climate-speak for cutting emissions.
German climate envoy Jennifer Morgan also called for keeping the 鈥�1.5 degree in sight,鈥� to be able to 鈥渢o keep the losses and the damages in check.鈥�
Romina Pourmokhtari, Sweden鈥檚 climate minister added that 鈥渟cience says that we鈥檙e in a rush and that has to be represented in the negotiations that we have.鈥�
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A group of states known as the High Ambition Coalition, including the U.K. and Germany, has urged for an agreement to be reached on having a key warming goal part of the final document at COP27, the U.N. climate talks in Egypt.
鈥淲e come together to say that we must emerge from COP 27 with a package of outcomes that keeps 1.5 alive and protects the world鈥檚 vulnerable,鈥� said Marshall Islands鈥� climate envoy Kristina Stege.
Stege said commitments made at the summit need to be 鈥済rounded鈥� in science. Climate scientists have warned that if the earth warms more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) climate disasters would significantly worsen.
鈥淭his COP decision must put the world on a path to phasing out all fossil fuels and an urgent just transition to renewables,鈥� she added.
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More than a dozen young activists gathered at the United Nations climate conference Saturday to pressure negotiators to phase out fossil fuels and agree on a climate financing facility.
The activists, from the Fridays for Future movement, also criticized the delay in climate negotiations which dragged to Saturday after negotiators failed to achieve an agreement before the official end of the conference on Nov. 18.
The activists raised signs with slogans read: 鈥淒on鈥檛 fail us,鈥� and 鈥淒eliver loss and damage,鈥� referring to a fund for vulnerable countries who have done little to contribute to climate change from carbon polluting nations.
Negotiators said earlier Saturday they struck a potential breakthrough deal on the creation of a fund for 鈥榣oss and damage.鈥�
Activists were not convinced.
鈥淭he deal is not good,鈥� said activist Helena Marschall.
Marschall accused the United States and the European Union of blocking a deal on loss and damage and urged them along other world leaders 鈥渢o recognize that we have a lot of work to do.鈥�
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Negotiators at U.N. climate talks in Egypt say they have struck a potential breakthrough deal on the creation of a fund for compensating poor nations that are the most vulnerable to climate change, called 鈥榣oss and damage.鈥�
鈥淭here is an agreement on loss and damage,鈥� Maldives Environment Minister Aminath Shauna told The Associated Press Saturday. 鈥淭hat means for countries like ours we will have the mosaic of solutions that we have been advocating for.鈥�
It still needs to be approved unanimously in a vote later today.
Saturday afternoon鈥檚 draft proposal came from the Egyptian presidency.
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Two separate drafts released by the Egyptian presidency, on efforts to step up emissions cuts and the overarching decision of this year鈥檚 talks, barely build on what was agreed in Glasgow last year.
The texts leave in place a reference to the Paris accords goal of limiting global warming to 鈥渨ell below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit)鈥� which scientists say is far too risky.
They also don鈥檛 suggest any new short-term targets for either developing or developed countries, which experts say are needed to achieve the more ambitious 1.5 C (2.7 F) goal that would prevent some of the more extreme effects of climate change.
A new proposal on the issue of loss and damage that calls for the creation of a new fund to help developing countries hit by climate disasters said developed countries would be 鈥渦rged鈥� to contribute to the fund, which would also draw on other private and public sources of money such as international financial institutions.
However, the proposal does not suggest that major emerging economies such as China have to contribute to the fund, which was a key ask of the European Union and the United States.
It also does not tie the creation of the new fund to any increase in efforts to cut emissions, or restrict the recipients of funding to those countries that are most vulnerable.
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Alok Sharma, the British official who chaired last year鈥檚 climate talks in Glasgow, declined to comment on criticism of the Egyptian presidency, but made clear that an ambitious outcome to combat climate change was crucial.
鈥淓very presidency runs things in their own way,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he key issue for me and for the UK is that what we have here at the end of the day is a balanced and ambitious text across all the key pillars,鈥� he said.
鈥淔or us it鈥檚 also vitally important to not just preserve what we agreed in Glasgow but that we build on that as well,鈥� said Sharma, referring to the recommitment made last year to limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) and a pledge to increase efforts to slash emissions cuts.
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Spain鈥檚 environment minister said they are willing to walk out if they can鈥檛 reach a fair deal at the U.N. climate talks.
鈥淲e could be exiting of course,鈥� said Teresa Ribera. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 be part of a result that we find unfair and not effective to address the problem that we are handling, which is climate change and the need to reduce emissions.鈥�
Ribera said she is 鈥渃oncerned鈥� that a draft of the final document may not include a mention of the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming limit target set in Paris in 2015.
She added she didn鈥檛 want to see a result 鈥渢hat may backtrack what we already did in Glasgow,鈥� referring to the renewed commitment to the 1.5 C goal at the climate summit last year.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that we鈥檇 like to see, that there is a strong commitment to the 1.5 target,鈥� said Teresa Ribera.
On the role of the presidency, Ribera said that the process has been 鈥渧ery confusing.鈥�
鈥淚t is not clear 鈥� and we are running out of time,鈥� she said.
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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said parties must now 鈥渞ise to the occasion鈥� in a news conference Saturday morning.
鈥淭he issue now rests with the will of the parties,鈥� Shoukry said at a press conference. 鈥淚t is the parties who must rise to the occasion and take upon themselves the responsibility of finding the areas of convergence and moving forward.鈥�
On a new draft text for the overarching decision at the conference, which was being worked on overnight, Shoukry said that 鈥渁 vast majority of the parties indicated to me that they considered the text as balanced and that they constitute a potential breakthrough that can lead to consensus.鈥�
He added that 鈥渁ll must show the necessary flexibility鈥� in reaching a consensus, and that Egypt was merely 鈥渇acilitating this process.鈥�
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New Zealand's climate minister has said a draft of the final document circulated by the presidency 鈥渉as been received quite poorly by pretty much everybody,鈥� adding that delegations are going into another round of talks.
Speaking to The Associated Press, James Shaw called the draft 鈥渆ntirely unsatisfactory."
He added that the proposal 鈥渁bandons really any hope of achieving 1.5 (degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)," referring to the warming limit agreed at the Paris agreement back in 2015.
He said parties will continue to work on the issue as well as look to reach consensus on a loss and damage fund for developing nations who are suffering from the impacts of climate change.
鈥淓verybody wants an outcome on loss and damage and everybody wants to keep 1.5 alive. So that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to keep doing,鈥� he said.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says that responsibility for the fat of the U.N. climate talks 鈥渘ow lies in the hands of the Egyptian COP presidency.鈥�
She said the European Union had made clear overnight that 鈥渨e will not sign a paper here that diverges significantly from the 1.5 C path, that would bury the goal of 1.5 degrees.鈥�
鈥淚f these climate conferences set us back then we wouldn鈥檛 have needed to travel here in the first place,鈥� she said.
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