News Analysis: Constructive attitude needed to ensure global climate agreement

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries took a break on Sunday. A day earlier, they handed over the final draft of a new global climate agreement following a week-long intense work. A common will to fight climate change was seen here last week, but a more constructive attitude is needed to resolve huge amount of disagreements remained and to ensure a success in reaching a comprehensive, balanced, ambitious and legally binding agreement to guide the world to a low-emission future.

Climate veterans said the atmosphere in Le Bourget conference center on the outskirts of northern Paris was more positive than it was in Copenhagen six years ago when countries made the latest try to clinch an ambitious global climate deal.

A 21-page draft was produced by negotiators on Saturday, compared with a draft run nearly 300 pages at a similar phase in 2009.

"It's an outcome achieved by all," said Su Wei, China's chief negotiator, calling the draft with clearer text and fewer options "a strong basis" for coming discussion among government ministers.

A large number of disagreements, however, remained. Countries had made no compromise in key issues including finance, differentiation, as well as action ambition.

"All the difficult political issues will be solved by the ministers. Next week is the week of compromise," said EU Energy and Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete.

Observers said as no concrete solutions was found in the first week, ministers would face a tough week to thrash out an agreement accepted by all by December 11.

Finance is one of the most difficult issues in the negotiation. Developed countries were reluctant to scale up their finance support to developing countries after 2020, when the Paris agreement comes into force, from 100 billion U.S. dollars, a level rich countries promised to reach by 2020 in 2009.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called in various occasions for a "spirit of compromise" from countries to push forward negotiations. On Saturday, he told negotiators "What we are discussing is not just the environment, and it beyond the climate. It's life."

"Climate change does not respect national boundaries. It impacts all throughout the world," said the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday, urging countries to "look beyond their national boundaries" and to have "a global solidarity".

Proposals for bridging divergences were circulating among negotiators in Paris. A number of them were contributed by China, an active player in pushing forward the negotiation.

"We will not compromise on fundamental principles, but could be flexible in ways to implement these principles. An active and constructive attitude is needed to resolve disagreements," said Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy on climate change.

He said "applicable solutions" for the differentiation issue were put forward in a joint statement between China and France early in November. "I hope these could be basis for different positions to make compromise," Xie said. Endit