Options, options: As clock ticks on, climate talks wide open

Officials from almost 200 nations worked through the night at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, trying to hammer out agreements on a range of tricky topics in time for a Friday deadline.Among the outstanding issues was international carbon trading, a subject that has nagged at negotiators since the landmark Paris climate accord was sealed in 2015.Were still at the stage of options, a European negotiator told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Officials from almost 200 nations worked through the night at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, trying to hammer out agreements on a range of tricky topics in time for a Friday deadline.

Among the outstanding issues was international carbon trading, a subject that has nagged at negotiators since the landmark Paris climate accord was sealed in 2015.

“We're still at the stage of options,” a European negotiator told The Associated Press on Thursday. “But it's moving forward. We still need that push though.'' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to be quoted.

Fresh drafts of the documents on regulating international cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the carbon markets section, were released overnight, as were new proposals containing various options for assessing and tracking financial aid for developing countries.

Poor nations have insisted they will not back any deal that fails to address their need for funds to help cut emissions and adapt to the consequences of global warming, a problem they have contributed least to.

Negotiators were hoping that a bilateral agreement Wednesday between the United States and China to cooperate in tackling climate change would provide a boost during the final hours of the talks.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday urged fellow world leaders to call their negotiating teams in Glasgow and give them the political backing to clinch an ambitious deal.

Officials and observers have said the bar for success must be a strong affirmation of the Paris goal of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) — ideally no more than 1.5 C (2.7 F) - backed by credible policies from all nations to get there. So far, scientists say the world is not on track for that.

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