Climate talks extended, agreement is likely today

Sleep-starved envoys tasked with staving off catastrophic climate change are on track to seal a historic accord, the French hosts of UN talks said Friday although the biggest pitfalls were yet to be cleared.

The 195-nation conference in Paris had been scheduled to wrap up on Friday, but was extended another day after ministers failed to bridge deep divides during a second consecutive all-night round of negotiations.

Still, foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who is presiding over the talks, voiced confidence the event would culminate with a much-awaited pact.

“We are almost at the end of the road and I am optimistic,” said Mr Fabius, whose hopes were echoed by many negotiators and observers despite potential deal-breakers still up in the air.

Mr Fabius said he would submit the deal at 9 am (0800 GMT) and was “sure” it would be approved. “It will be a big step forward for humanity as a whole,” he said.

World leaders have billed the Paris talks as the last chance to avert disastrous climate change: increasingly severe drou-ght, floods and storms, as well as rising seas.