South Africa battles to save UN climate talks

Ministers fought to save UN climate talks from collapse on Saturday, searching to narrow differences between rich and poor nations over how quickly to fight global warming. Ministerial negotiations in the South African port city of Durban were put off until Saturday afternoon but with many delegates due to head home there was a strong chance real decisions would be put off until next year.
That would be a major setback for host South Africa and raise the prospect that the Kyoto Protocol, the only global pact that enforces carbon cuts, could expire at the end of next year with no successor treaty in place. "It's a complete mess in there, but we are still trying to reach a deal," said one western delegate outside the building where ministers were trying to hammer out an accord.
Negotiators were arguing over the wording of a range of highly technical sections that make up the broad agreement, which covers a range of topics from greenhouse gas emissions targets to forestry accounting rules, green tech transfers and cash to help poor countries adapt to climate change. Two weeks of talks between almost 200 states in the South African port of Durban were due to end on Friday. But island nations and developing states most affected by global warming rebelled over an initial draft accord.
They demanded a more ambitious text that could offer hope to low-lying countries under threat from the rising sea-levels and extreme weather linked to global warming. The European Union backed the group, having sought to build a consensus around its roadmap for push all major polluters to accept legally binding cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions. "They're working. They're working hard. You have to give them time to work," said UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.
However, as the talks dragged on, many delegates from poor nations were packing their bags, having booked flights home. That could leave the countries most vulnerable to climate change without a voice when the plenary session reconvenes. "Developing countries have very small delegations, 2-3 people... Many of us have already left," said Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, chairman of the Africa Group. "Many ministers are also gone from our group, so that creates a bit of a problem."
South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has struggled to draft a document that can both advance the fight against climate change and secure a broad consensus. Changes put forward on Saturday disappointed developing states and the European Union, who complained they contained no reference to how the fight against climate change would be paid for and set no date by when cuts to emissions must be decided. The discussion document also deferred decisions on cutting emissions from international aviation and shipping to next year.