Fate of global climate action 'in the balance' as UN talks go down to wire

MADRID - Big polluting countries faced last-ditch pressure from smaller nations to show serious commitment to fighting climate change as negotiators battled into the early hours of Saturday to salvage a result from a fraught UN summit in Madrid.

Chile later announced the talks, which had been due to end on Friday, would resume at 7am on Saturday. Fast-growing emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil are reluctant to commit themselves to unveiling new goals so soon, observers say, fearing they will end up paying the price of emissions cuts that should be borne by the rich.

Progress on those issues would help deliver the bigger prize: a clear statement from the gathering that governments are committed to honouring the Paris deal by imminently announcing more ambitious action to wean themselves off fossil fuels. "We've had 25 years of talks and the only thing that really matters is global emissions are still rising," said Mr Tim Crosland, a prominent member of Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience campaign, after meeting officials at the talks.

Observers said the US delegation repeated a pattern seen at past talks of blocking progress toward ensuring poor countries can secure compensation for climate-related losses.

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