UN climate talks race to complete climate-saving draft

Le Bourget: India and US are working in a "constructive way" for a climate deal that is comfortable to both, a top American official has said, as negotiators from 195 nations today raced to secure a blueprint that will form the base of the most complex global accord ever attempted.

As the high-stake climate talks here entered its sixth day, negotiators appeared confident that some kind of deal will be reached before next weekend and they will be able to avert a repeat of the 2009 Copenhagen summit -- that failed spectacularly.

The negotiations have made little concrete progress due to sharp disagreements on most issues, including financing to developing nations and transfer of technology.

However, US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern said: "India and US have a very strong history of working collaboratively. That is going on right now."

Stern said he had four to five meetings with Indian counterparts in the last one week and both nations are working "quite intensively in a business and constructive way".

"I understand where they are coming from and they (India) understand where we are coming from. The art that goes on here is to try to find solutions that are both effective and both sides can go home and be comfortable," he said.

His statement came in the backdrop of US Secretary of State John Kerry's remark ahead of the talks here on the outskirts of Paris that India will be a "challenge".

A weak agreement remains the greatest danger for the Paris talks as the summit now enters its final week. Ministers from around the world will descend on Paris on Monday to try to transform the blueprint into a binding deal that can cap the rampant emissions of greenhouse gases and slow global warming.

Scientists warn that the planet will become increasingly hostile to mankind as it warms, causing rise in sea levels and extreme weather patterns completely contrast to present times.

But to slow the climate change requires a rapid shift to clean energy: mainly moving away from burning coal, oil and gas for energy.

India is expected to become the world's biggest importer of coal by 2020 as it seeks to meet its energy requirements.

India's national climate plan, submitted ahead of this meeting, suggests a significant role for coal going forward.

While India has been targeted for expanding its coal usage, New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment said focusing only on coal and India was an "unnecessary distraction" and creating "bad blood" at the conference.

The green body called it a "well planned campaign". A campaign to bring the narrative that India is going to burn the world with coal is the "only negative counter narrative" but it will not help, it said.