Given the stakes -- the survival of civilisation, no less -- it didn't seem unreasonable to expect 196 nations gathered in Madrid to forge a global warming action plan to declare, in clear and simple language, that they would do a bit more, do a little better.

COP25's final declaration, for example, could have called on countries to foreshadow -- preferably before the end of next year -- more ambition in reducing carbon pollution to tackle what scientists who would rather bite their tongues than exaggerate call a climate emergency.

"Emergency" still too over-the-top? How about "urgency". Does "calling" on nations seems too impolitic? Perhaps they could be "urged".

And if "carbon pollution" offends the sensibilities of fossil fuel exporting nations, then fingering greenhouse gases produced by burning oil, gas and coal might do.

But apparently these options were deemed a step too far for many countries at the 12-day climate summit, which headed into its second day of overtime Sunday with some bleary-eyed ministers rushing to catch planes while others hunkered down for another sleepless night of bilaterals, huddles, stocktakes and "informal informals" which are, in fact, anything but informal.

Welcome to the world of climate diplomacy, where the difference between "shall" and "should" can be debated for days, and determine whether a treaty has teeth or is toothless.

Going into Madrid, climate negotiators had two main tasks.

One was to make clear their intention to draw down more of the greenhouse gases baking our planet and unleashing -- with only one degree Celsius of warming -- a cascade of deadly droughts, heatwaves and superstorms made more destructive by rising seas.

Under the 2015 Paris climate treaty, virtually every country in the world laid out a voluntary plan to curb emissions through, for example, switching to renewable energy, planting trees, and making buildings more energy efficient.

- A fantasy land -

But the sum total of their efforts would still see Earth hot up by well over 3C, a recipe for human misery on a global scale.

Indeed, the UN's climate science panel says that anything above 1.5C is asking for trouble.

That clear-and-present danger has finally registered with a large slice of humanity, including millions of young people who march through city streets on Fridays to embarrass their governments into action.

Hence the need for more ambition.

But when it comes to sending a clear signal to the world, the 197-strong "Conference of the Parties" could do no better than...

"...encouraging Parties to use the opportunity in 2020 to reflect the highest possible ambition in response to the urgency of addressing climate change and with a view to achieving the long-term goals set out in Article 2 and Article 7, paragraph 1, of the Paris Agreement."

The COP also, of course, "recalls the request to Parties contained in decision 1/CP.21 paras 23 and 24, and urges Parties to consider the gap referred to in paragraph 5, with a view to reflecting their highest possible ambition when responding to this request."

Negotiators haggled over the wording of these passages for weeks, and in the upside-down world of the UN talks the result passes as a clarion call for action.

They could yet be watered down.

"We are in a fantasy land here," said Alden Meyer, strategy and policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"I've been attending these climate negotiations since they first started in 1991. But never have I seen the almost total disconnect we've seen here at COP25 in Madrid between what the science requires and the people of the world demand."

The other big-ticket item on the agenda at COP25 was mapping out rules for global carbon markets.

It may be done eventually, but almost certainly not this year -- negotiators prepared to punt the ball downfield to 2020's meeting in Glasgow.

UN climate talks stagger towards 'mediocre' outcome
Madrid (AFP) Dec 15, 2019 - A UN climate summit in Madrid stumbled towards the finish line Sunday after marathon talks between countries exposed deeper divides than ever over how to enact humanity's plan to avert global warming disaster.

More than 36 hours after the negotiations were due to end, delegates were close to agreement on contentious issues, including how ambitious each nation is in its individual plan to fight climate change.

Faced with fire-alarm warnings from science, deadly extreme weather made worse by climate change, and weekly strikes by millions of young people, negotiations in Madrid were under pressure to send a clear signal that governments were willing to double down in tackling the crisis.

But observers and delegates from nations already bearing the brunt of climate-related disasters said the COP 25 in Madrid had resolutely failed to live up to its own slogan: Time for action.

"We wanted provisions that were in the Paris agreement to remain and what we see at every COP it just seems to be another opportunity to erode those," Grenada envoy Simon Stiell told AFP.

"There are one or two parties that seem hell bent on ensuring any calls for ambition, action, environmental integrity are rolled back," he added.

- Unprecedented disconnect -

Delegates from nearly 200 nations are in Madrid to finalise the rulebook for the 2015 Paris agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).

The accord enters in to action next year, and it had been hoped COP 25 would show the world that governments had listened to the weekly protests, irrefutable science and more extreme weather events to redouble their efforts.

Yet the key issue of ambition -- how far each country is willing to slash carbon emissions or assist less wealthy peers to do likewise -- has largely failed to materialise.

Veteran observers of UN climate talks were stunned by the state of play.

And youth activists, who held several protests during the summit, called out governments dragging their feet.

Alexandria Villasenor, a 14-year-old climate activist, said she was "disappointed" in the lack of action at COP 25.

"The difference between the youth on the streets and the negotiations is that the youth on the streets are acting with urgency," she told AFP.

"COP 25 has failed us and it's another year of failure."

The push for a strengthening of voluntary carbon cutting plans is led by small-island and least-developed states, along with the European Union.

These have called out nations they see as blocking consensus for all countries to step up, notably the United States, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

China and India, the world's No. 1 and No. 4 carbon emitters, have made it clear they see no need to improve on their current emissions reduction plans, which run to 2030.

These emerging giants have chosen instead to emphasise the historical responsibility of rich nations to lead the way and provide financing to poor countries.

"It seems like it's inching along but it's not the strong call for climate ambition that we needed to come out of this," said Catherine Abreu, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada.

"It will be a pretty mediocre outcome."

The COP 25 summit was also meant to finalise a chapter on carbon markets in the Paris rulebook.

Some nations, notably Brazil and Australia, want to count carbon credits accumulated under a previous climate deal as part of their commitments under the Paris goals.

Discussions over markets were at an impasse Sunday and the issue is likely to be handed over to next year's COP 26 in Glasgow.

- US labelled spoiler -

The US, which is leaving the Paris deal next year, was accused of playing spoiler on a number of issues vital to climate-vulnerable nations.

This included so-called "loss and damage" funding to help disaster-hit countries repair and rebuild.

"The US has not come here in good faith," said Harjeet Singh, climate lead with charity ActionAid.

"They continue to block the world's efforts to help people whose lives have been turned upside down by climate change."

Even if nations in Madrid snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and agree to implement their pledges on paper, Earth is on course to warm more than 3C by 2100.

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UN talks out of sync with global climate demands
Madrid (AFP) Dec 9, 2019
UN climate negotiations in Madrid remained bogged down Monday in the fine print of the Paris treaty rulebook, out-of-sync with a world demanding action to forestall the ravages of global warming. The 196-nation talks should kick into high-gear Tuesday with the arrival of ministers, but on the most crucial issue of all - slashing the greenhouse gas emissions overheating the planet - major emitters have made it clear they have nothing to say. Only the European Union is dangling the prospect of e ... read more