World in crisis a grim backdrop for UN climate talks

By FRANK JORDANS and SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Envoys from around the globe gathered Sunday in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for talks on tackling climate change amid a multitude of competing crises. Notching up a first small victory, negotiators agreed after two frantic days of preliminary talks to formally discuss the question of vulnerable nations receiving money for the loss and damage they’ve suffered from climate change. The issue has weighed on the talks for years, with rich nations including the United States pushing back against the idea of climate reparations. The outgoing chair of the talks, British official Alok Sharma, urged countries to stay focused on curbing global warming. He warned that “inaction is myopic and can only defer climate catastrophe.”