Climate talks: Final draft ready for adoption, India emerges as key player

Le Bourget: French and UN officials completed an edit of the final draft to be presented to ministers for adoption on Saturday, conference host France said, after nearly two weeks of tough haggling for a climate rescue pact.

"We have a text to present," an official in the office of Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who presides over the talks, told AFP.

After translation into the UN's six official languages, the document will be presented to ministers at 11.30 am (1030 GMT), nearly 16 hours after the conference had been scheduled to close.

The global climate talks that ran into overtime Friday have been a massive undertaking both diplomatically and logistically, with some 40,000 daily participants.  

The summit has operated like a temporary city over the last two weeks -- providing work space, food and protection for guests, including scores of world leaders.

India emerges as key player in Paris talks

India has emerged as key player in the negotiations for a crucial climate change deal in Paris that has entered the final phase, according to a media report.

India hit back at developed countries that have been accusing it of refusing to yield ground on emissions and funding, saying they were not showing flexibility and posing roadblocks for a comprehensive climate deal, deadline for which was extended by a day yesterday.

With just hours remaining before negotiators hopes to close a deal addressing climate change, India has emerged as a key player," the Time magazine said in a news report yesterday, which noted that Indian leaders were walking a tight rope on the issue of climate change.

Officials wanted to show that the world's fourth-biggest carbon emitter was ready to play a constructive role in international climate negotiations, it said.

"On the other hand, negotiators need to show citizens back home that addressing climate change would not detract from development goals?particularly the need to bring power to the quarter of the population that goes without it," Time said.

The White House said there was broad agreement about countries making a substantial commitment to reducing their carbon pollution, about specific transparency measures so that people can demonstrate their commitment to those commitments.

"There has also been obviously discussion about the importance of investing in renewable energy and in other technology that could assist countries that are experiencing the impacts of climate change already, and are poised to experience even more impacts in the years ahead," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

Negotiations for a climate change deal hit a roadblock yesterday as countries like India and China refused to yield their ground on emissions and funding. (With agency inputs)