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December 14, 2019 Despite the expected closing date of the 25th UN climate conference yesterday, the Cop25 negotiations are still continuing without an agreement in sight. "We have made extra hours, we have to show the outside world that we keep the promises, that multilateralism works", Chile's Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt insisted this morning, who chairs the current summit in Madrid. "The solution we propose is balanced overall", he assures.

However, no consensus can be seen on the new negotiating texts presented this morning, in particular on the main topics of discussion, for example the ambition regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the financing for southern countries. The delegates of rich countries, emerging countries and the poorest countries of the world all oppose the text presented by Chile in an attempt to find common ground. After a year of climate-related disasters, including storms with victims, floods and fires, a year of weekly strikes by millions of young people against climate change, the Madrid negotiations had to send a clear signal of governments' willingness to face the crisis. "It was the Cop of ambition, we see no ambition", criticized Carlos Fuller, from Belize, on behalf of the group of small island states, who said he was "unhappy".

About 200 States are gathered in Madrid to give the final touch to the rules for the implementation of the 2015 Paris agreement, which provides for limiting global warming to well below 2 °, even 1.5 °. States should review their climate promises in 2020. About 80 countries have pledged to increase their promises, but they represent only 10% of global emissions. For the European Union, which agreed on a goal of carbon neutrality in 2050, "it is impossible to leave this Cop without a strong message about ambition, it is something that people outside expect from us and we must listen to the their appeal ", a representative of the delegation stressed.