Strong divides pushed negotiation to the edge

SHARM EL SHEIKH: Several countries and blocs at COP27 summit sought to reopen texts that had already been agreed upon and leaked discussions that were not held widely among parties, people part of the talks said.

The conference, with the tagline “together for implementation”, was meant to focus on how commitments would translate into reality, but soon became fraught after rifts began to emerge, at one point even nearing collapse when the EU threatened to walk out.