UN climate talks stagger towards 'mediocre' outcome

A UN climate summit in Madrid stumbled towards the finish line on Sunday after marathon talks between countries exposed deeper divides than ever over how to enact humanity's plan to avert global warming disaster.

More than 36 hours after the negotiations were due to end, delegates were close to agreement on contentious issues, including how ambitious each nation is in its individual plan to fight climate change.

Faced with fire-alarm warnings from science, deadly extreme weather made worse by climate change, and weekly strikes by millions of young people, negotiations in Madrid were under pressure to send a clear signal that governments were willing to double down in tackling the crisis.

But observers and delegates from nations already bearing the brunt of climate-related disasters said the COP 25 in Madrid had resolutely failed to live up to its own slogan: Time for action.

"We wanted provisions that were in the Paris agreement to remain and what we see at every COP it just seems to be another opportunity to erode those," Grenada envoy Simon Stiell told AFP.

"There are one or two parties that seem hell bent on ensuring any calls for ambition, action, environmental integrity are rolled back," he added.

Delegates from nearly 200 nations are in Madrid to finalise the rulebook for the 2015 Paris agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).

The accord enters in to action next year, and it had been hoped COP 25 would show the world that governments had listened to the weekly protests, irrefutable science and more extreme weather events to redouble their efforts.

Yet the key issue of ambition -- how far each country is willing to slash carbon emissions or assist less wealthy peers to do likewise -- has largely failed to materialise.

Veteran observers of UN climate talks were stunned by the state of play. And youth activists, who held several protests during the summit, called out governments dragging their feet.

Alexandria Villasenor, a 14-year-old climate activist, said she was "disappointed" in the lack of action at COP 25.

"The difference between the youth on the streets and the negotiations is that the youth on the streets are acting with urgency," she told AFP.

"COP 25 has failed us and it's another year of failure."
"It will be a pretty mediocre outcome."
"They continue to block the world's efforts to help people whose lives have been turned upside down by climate change."