True to tradition, this year too the United Nations climate conference (Cop 20) closed late, after a night of last-minute talks and negotiations in an attempt to draw up, at the eleventh hour, a document capable of bringing the delegations of the 195 countries present in Lima, the capital of Peru, to an agreement. All in order to lay the foundations for the new global climate agreement that will (it is hoped) be put forward for signing next year, during the Paris conference.

True to tradition, opinions on what was presented are divided between those who argue that the final result is of historic significance and those who describe it as a setback, a non-event.

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar © Unfccc

Insiders — the delegates who worked through until the early hours of 15 December — described the agreement as "the most important in 20 years because it also commits China and India, which until now had resisted any form of formal commitment in order to protect their growth potential," as reported by Sole 24 Ore. By contrast, Legambiente, like other environmental organisations, states that "in Lima, unfortunately, governments were unable to untangle the knots relating to the differentiation of national commitments and financial support for developing countries, which continue to block the negotiations towards Paris."

Exactly what agreement was actually reached in Lima remains unclear. All countries were asked to submit their CO2 emissions reduction proposals (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) to the United Nations by 31 March 2015. Unlike what the European Union had called for, no baseline obligation was set and there will be no mechanism for comparing countries' proposals. The pledges will be published on the website of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Unfccc), and by 15 November 2015 a report will be drawn up on the results that could be achieved in terms of combating global warming on the basis of the commitments made.

Ipcc President Rajendra Pachauri © Unfccc

Many developing countries, such as India, pressed for reduction obligations to be differentiated on the basis of historical emissions, so as to secure less stringent obligations than those imposed on industrialised countries. The United States, for its part, argues that the world has changed entirely in recent years and that many developing countries can no longer be considered as such. The diplomatic formula adopted speaks of "common but differentiated responsibilities on the basis of individual capacities, and in light of different national circumstances." A tongue-twister that can be interpreted in a hundred different ways and over which, in all likelihood, entire nights will be spent.

The only certainty is that all options remain on the table and that no agreement will be signed without a binding commitment from all countries that are party to the Unfccc. Those who had hoped to leave Lima with a clearer picture and some fixed points were left disappointed. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has already grasped the situation: "We will have a great deal of work to do."

The main image shows United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon © Unfccc