Posted on December, 11 2015

The climate talks are racing toward the finish line.

The current draft could be stronger, but the door is still open to increase ambition over time. The clock is ticking and ministers need to resolve the final outstanding issues.

Critically, we could be closer to an agreement on a review of country pledges before 2020, but the current 2019 timeframe leaves very little time for countries to enhance those pledges. They need to do it earlier.

There is still a lot of work ahead. There is a huge problem with the options for loss and damage in the current text. The current options provide no hope for people who will suffer the impacts of climate change the hardest.

The negotiating text now includes a goal of keeping us well below 2°C of warming, and a reference to a 1.5°C temperature limit.

That’s encouraging because it signals a stronger intention to cut emissions – although countries still need to outline how they’ll achieve these goals.