“COP26 negotiators on Saturday began coalescing around a hard-fought deal to deliver the emissions reductions needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, as the summit’s UK presidency warned the world faced a ‘moment of truth’,” reports the International Business Times. “India struck a discordant note, insisting on the right of developing economies to continue to use fossil fuels, as the two-week meeting in Glasgow edged towards its conclusion by debating a new draft text offered by COP26 president Alok Sharma.”

“But it was a rare note of objection as other influential players signalled their willingness to compromise, after the summit went into an unscheduled extra day Saturday. Chinese negotiator Zhao Yingmin said: ‘This text is by no means perfect, but we have no intention to open the text again.’ EU commission vice president Frans Timmermans said there was ‘a risk in this marathon of stumbling a couple of metres before the finishing line’, warning too against any reopening of the text.”

“US climate envoy John Kerry also backed the compromise, arguing ‘it is time to come together for future generations’. Much-threatened island states including Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu all signalled their support, despite pushing for much more financial support as they risk being swallowed by rising seas. Delegates in Glasgow are trying to hammer out how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement goals to limit temperature rises to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius.”