A record-setting climate meeting agrees on raised goals

At ten o'clock on Sunday morning, the meeting's chairman Carolina Schmidt was able to hit the club on the table for several of the contentious issues. Several drafts were required and, following harsh results from environmental organizations, the countries could agree to raise their ambitions next year.

The document says there is "an urgent need" to tighten its climate commitments in order to reach the goal of the Paris agreement to limit heating to 1, 5 degrees. The promises should be in line with what science and climate protesters require. Already in the first quarter of next year, countries must report what they want to do.

The Madrid meeting also sought to clarify the rule book for the Paris Agreement, but in the most difficult question of how emissions trading should be calculated and reported, the countries could not agree. That issue was postponed to next year's meeting in Glasgow.

The biggest opponents have been Australia and Brazil. Australia wants to use old emission credits from the Kyoto Protocol to offset future emissions. Brazil wants to double emissions reductions made in the rainforest, something the EU has been stubbornly opposed to. All countries seem to be disappointed that Article six is ​​being advanced.

- We are very unhappy that we could not agree. Market mechanisms are important for reducing emissions. We still think there was real progress at the meeting, the glass is half full, says Brazil's negotiator.

The EU delegation was of the opposite view:

- We are one of the most dissatisfied parties, says the EU delegation in plenary.

The question of how poor countries should be compensated for damage caused by climate negotiations was one of the most sensitive meeting. A compromise was adopted, but with continued opposition from poor countries that there are no clear rules on funding and the accused US to block the issue.