Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU’s climate commissioner, said that the 85-page draft agreement currently being poured over by diplomats still contains far too many bracketed options that need to be rapidly narrowed. “In the negotiating rooms, progress has been painfully slow. The technical talks are seriously lagging behind the political discussion and this must change,” Cañete told a press conference in Brussels. “The window of opportunity… is closing fast.”

The alarm call from Brussels follows sharp interventions from the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and French climate ambassador, Laurence Tubiana in recent weeks. Cañete called for diplomats to show flexibility, and move beyond their negotiating “comfort zones” as a matter of priority. “When it comes to substance, the text is still far too long, with all options put forward by countries still on the table. This has to be negotiated as soon as possible,” he said.

Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/20/paris-climate-talks-seriously-lagging-eu-calls-urgency