Governments are meeting in Paris to forge a new global agreement on the climate, including cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, that will take effect from 2020, when current commitments run out.

From more than 90 pages earlier this year, the new core text has been slimmed down to just 20 pages, with a supplementary document of three pages on ways to up countries’ emissions-cutting targets before 2020.

The new text includes a commitment by governments to hold warming to no more than 2C, or potentially 1.5C, above pre-industrial levels. This is viewed as crucial, because of scientific advice that warming above 2C is likely to lead to consequences – extreme weather, droughts, floods and sea level rises – that will become catastrophic and irreversible.

Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/05/un-publishes-draft-of-slimmed-down-paris-climate-change-deal