Spotlight: UN's first rule-setting negotiations for Paris Agreement conclude, leaving homework to countries

The United Nations' first round of climate talks following a climate summit in Paris closed here on Thursday, leaving countries to continue their work at home to write a rule book for the Paris Agreement.

Delegates and observers said negotiations over the past two weeks were constructive as officials started to share their views on how the Paris Agreement should be implemented.

"The spirit of cooperation that parties showed in Paris was still there," said Su Wei, China's chief climate negotiator, "all participated the negotiations actively."

It was the first time that climate officials around the world gathered since the historic Pairs Agreement was adopted late 2015.

In coming years, they have to write a "rule book" for the universal climate pact which asks all countries to take joint actions to limit the dangerous global warming.

Key issues include what the climate action plans that countries need to submit every five years from 2020 would look like, how they could improve their efforts regularly and how developed countries guarantee enhanced finance and technology support to help developing countries address climate change challenges.

First views on these details were exchanged during the talks, and parties were asked to do some homework and submit further opinions by Sept. 30, ahead of the next climate summit in Marrakech, Morocco in November this year.

"Much work remains to be done to breathe life into the vision of Paris," said Christiana Figueres, the UN climate chief.

The time is urgent as the Paris Agreement is expected to enter into force soon. Once the pact is ratified by 55 countries representing 55 percent of global carbon emissions, it will need a rule book to start operation. Figueres said this might happen "as early as even next year."

Currently, 17 countries have completed their ratification, more nations including China and the United States have indicated that they will follow this year.

Mohamed Adow, an expert from Christian Aid organization, said given the constructive attitude that parties showed in the talks, negotiations on the Paris Agreement's rule book will move "much faster" than that on the Kyoto Protocol's rule book which lasted four years.

However, some analysts cautioned that bumpers remained on the road ahead.

"The mood of celebration cannot disguise the fact that there is a huge amount of work still to be done," said Li Shuo, a senior climate policy adviser of Greenpeace, "the heavy lifting is no doubt still ahead. Much of the details for the future climate regime remain to be hashed out."

China's chief negotiator Su Wei said he expected to see "very tough" negotiations process in the future as divergences and confrontations would emerge when detailed issues were to be touched.

Scope of climate actions plans and transparency arrangement for different countries are expected to be two areas where quarrels may erupt in the future, according to observers.

"We still have political differences," said Harjeet Singh, Global Lead on Climate Change for ActionAid. Endit