Dear Jim,

At the end of the first week of the talks, there are still huge divisions between countries on all the key points. The French formally take over running the meeting on Saturday when negotiators hand over the text of what they’ve managed to agree so far. At the moment they haven’t agreed very much, DESPITE A MYRIAD OF MEETINGS LASTING LATE INTO THE NIGHT TO TRY TO FIND CONSENSUS ON EACH POINT.

There is a big dispute over whether the agreement should be aiming to limit global warming to 2 degrees, or 1.5 degrees, in line with the latest science, for example. Small island states, at risk of inundation, are digging in on 1.5 degrees, along with other countries. But nations like Saudi Arabia and India are adamant it should not be mentioned. Countries are also at loggerheads over whether all should eventually have to properly report their emissions and track progress towards their national target, something that’s pretty important in an agreement that won’t be legally binding and won’t contain any sanctions. I WROTE ABOUT THIS DISAGREEMENT HERE. 

Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, has now appointed a bunch of high level officials to try to crunch agreements before the text is handed over at noon tomorrow. The foreign minsters and other high level officials take over the negotiating for the final, critical week. It’s supposed to be done by next Friday, but these things seldom finish on time . . .

Here’s today’s reading list, with a few extra long reads for the weekend

*__PARIS CLIMATE TALKS: WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL TEMPERATURE RISES REALLY MAKE ?

*__UN ON WRONG TRACK WITH PLANS TO LIMIT GLOBAL WARMING TO 2C, SAYS TOP SCIENTIST

*__THE ‘ RED LINE ‘ ISSUE THAT EXPOSES DEEP DIVISIONS IN THE CLIMATE TALKS

Weekend reading

*__PARIS SUMMIT: THE CLIMATE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN

*__THE MEKONG RIVER: STORIES FROM THE HEART OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS

*__CHRISTIANA FIGUERES: THE WOMAN TASKED WITH SAVING THE WORLD

Yours Sincerely,
Lenore Taylor, political editor, Guardian Australia