Climate negotiators seek deal as COP27 goes into overtime

Climate negotiators seek deal as COP27 goes into overtime

Cairo: EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans has called on negotiators at the ongoing COP27 climate summit in Egypt to reach a deal that builds on previous climate agreements and works to keep a 1.5C cap on the rise in global temperatures.

"The EU is united in our ambition to move forward and build on what we agreed in Glasgow. Our message to partners is clear: we cannot accept that 1.5C dies here and today," he said in a tweet on Saturday.

Negotiators are making a final push for agreements this weekend at the COP27 climate talks, as persistent disagreements over money and responsibility forced the two-week summit into overtime.

Last-minute negotiations running past the scheduled closing time have been a recurring feature of recent COP summits.

Nevertheless, the 2022 event was seen as a crucial test of global commitment to containing climate change, in light of a war in Europe and rapidly rising energy prices distracting governments the world over.

"I remain committed to bring this conference to a close tomorrow in an orderly manner, with the adoption of a series of consensus decisions that will be comprehensive, ambitious, and balanced," COP27 President Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's foreign minister, told reporters late on Friday.

"It will