Delegates at the U.N. climate talks, which looked on the verge of collapse Saturday morning, quickly agreed on a historic deal to pay poorer countries for harm caused by global warming, before getting to more thornier issues.
A completed draft agreement was brought to an open plenary session at 4:10 a.m. for debate before being signed off by country representatives.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the president of the meeting, said 112 world leaders were gathered to deliberate on how to further deliver on the global climate agenda and translate commitments into implementation. “I implore you to adopt the draft decision I will present to you,” he told the plenary session. “The world is watching.”
The fractious summit has taken place against the background of a global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and exposed fault lines on how the world should navigate the transition away from fossil fuels. Leading up to the start of the talks, there had been fears the crisis would lead to a backsliding in ambitions among delegates, seeing the hope of keeping alive a target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century fade.
The Alliance of Small Island States, a group of low-lying coastal and small island countries, praised the unanimous support for a loss and damage fund. “A mission 30 years in the making has been accomplished,” said Antigua and Barbuda Minister and chair of the AOSIS group of small island nations Molwyn Joseph. “Our ministers and negotiators have endured sleepless nights and endless days in an intense series of negotiations — but after the pain comes the progress.”
