UN climate conference in Brazil extended amid lack of consensus

The UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil is being extended as representatives from the approximately 200 countries taking part were unable to reach agreement on contentious issues on Friday.

There is particularly fierce debate about whether the gathering should support a plan to phase out coal, oil and gas.

More than 80 countries – including Germany – are campaigning for the development of a plan to phase out fossil fuels, but there is considerable resistance, particularly from oil-producing countries.

The negotiations are therefore set to continue.

The annual UN climate summits have consistently gone into extra time in the past in order to achieve a consensus.

In Brazil, delegates lost half a day of negotiating time this week because the venue had to be evacuated due to a fire.