Georgina Rannard
Reporting from COP27

After that huge moment, COP27's President Sameh Shoukry swiftly moved on to this summit's overarching decision - called a cover text - which would bring together all of the elements discussed here in Egypt.

Switzerland immediately raised its hand, asking for more time.

Nations have not had time to read the draft decision, it said, asking for a 30 minute break.

It has been granted and now there is silence in the room.

I saw EU negotiator Franz Timmermans stride in, followed seconds later by the UK's Alok Sharma.

We're watching closely to see what happens next - there could be a real fight ahead.

This deal is all about "loss and damages" - but what does that actually mean?

The term refers to the need for a fund to help countries deal with the immediate impacts of climate change - the loss and damages.

Rich countries have - until now - resisted the discussion over financing for 30 years fearing that since they historically played a major role in causing climate change, they will have to pay for it for centuries to come.

But, the impacts of flooding in Pakistan, Nigeria and elsewhere in recent years have tipped the balance - here in Egypt the issue of the losses and damages due to rising temperatures finally made it onto the negotiating agenda.

Image source, .

Georgina Rannard
Reporting from COP27

Image source, Reuters

It's the middle of the night here in Sharm el-Sheikh - everyone is exhausted, most of all the negotiators.

But as COP27 President Sameh Shoukry, host of the summit, put down the gavel to this historic deal for poor nations, there was applause in the room.

Veteran observers told us it was met with more fanfare than he has usually seen in a COP climate summit.

An historic "loss and damage" deal has been struck at the COP27 summit to pay poorer nations for damage caused by climate change.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, here's a quick catch up what has been happening as we approach the final stages of the summit.

Yesterday negotiators at the COP27 UN climate conference worked late into the night to try to reach a deal after two weeks of talks.

A major agreement on giving money to developing countries for loss and damage already caused by global warming appeared close to completion - but the UK, US, European Union and Switzerland re-opened discussions on this, taking it to the wire.

There has also been disagreement on whether to include stronger pledges on cutting the use of fossil fuels.

It is the early hours of the morning in Egypt but we are getting a sense that negotiations are coming to an end - more than a day after they were scheduled to close.

The final plenary has begun. It was meant to start at 03:00 (01:00 GMT) and many sleep-deprived delegates returned to the venue for it - only for it to be delayed again and again.

So with the journey back to their hotels not worth it - this has been the scene in Sharm el-Sheikh overnight.

Georgina Rannard
BBC News

It's getting later and later here. The people I can see - journalists, activists, and experts - are looking tired. And it's clear now that these negotiations will run all night.

This would then be in the running to be one of the longest COPs ever - and a good moment to pause our live coverage.

It seems that a deal on loss and damage - richer nations agreeing to pay poorer countries for damages caused by climate change - could be settled. It would signal a big shift compared with the start of COP when the US said it would not agree to this type of fund.

But what will developed nations take back home in return?

That seems to be where issues are rearing their heads. Richer nations, like the UK and the EU, want more ambitious targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions - something that is seen as progress compared with last year in Glasgow.

There is a proposal here to expand agreements to "phase down" coal to include two other major fossil fuels - oil and gas - but Russia and Saudi Arabia are reportedly blocking that.

What we don't know is exactly how long this will go on for and what the final deal will be.

There's a long list left.

Georgina Rannard
Reporting from COP27

The roadblock we just reported on has now been resolved, sources on both sides of the matter tell us. They say the block was down to a procedural matter.

Negotiations at COP are notoriously confusing and can be chaotic - nations are dealing with extremely complicated texts.

Negotiators have left the large hall they were arguing in earlier and returned to their offices - it's certain these talks are running over into a second night.

It’s just gone midnight in Sharm el-Sheikh, where talks continue – 30 hours after they were scheduled to close.

As soon as we have any developments on the negotiations, we'll bring them to you here.

Justin Rowlatt
BBC Climate editor

A potentially major roadblock has been placed in the way of these talks.

A source close to the negotiating team that represents 134 developing nations plus China says the UK, US, EU and Switzerland have reopened discussions on loss and damage.

This has been the main bone of contention in these talks but this afternoon there was open discussion of the fact that a deal had been agreed.

It would represent historic progress in these UN climate talks, a major step forward for an issue that had not been addressed during the 30 years of these talks.

What is more many of the representatives of the small and vulnerable nations that agreed this deal – including the lead negotiator for Africa, Alpha Kaloga - have already left the conference.

That makes reopening the discussions particularly fraught.

Sources close to the developed nations involved said that the rule in these negotiations is that there is no deal until everything is agreed.

I fear we are in for a long wait.

Tackling climate change will require world leaders to take action on a global level. But as individuals we also contribute to damaging emissions. Here are some things you can do to reduce your personal impact.

• Insulate and draught-proof your home, install a heat pump, switch to a green energy provider or just turn down the heating a degree or two
• Reduce your food waste and cut down on red meat - livestock are responsible for 14% of all greenhouse gases globally
• Drive less, and fly less - transport is responsible for almost a quarter of carbon dioxide global emissions
• Think before you buy - whether choosing energy efficient appliances or buying second-hand clothes

Read more here: Four things you can do about your carbon footprint

Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to aim to keep temperature rise “well below” 2C and to aim for 1.5C. This is because scientists say rises above this levelwould expose millions more people to potentially devastating climate impacts.

Here's a remimder of how we're doing - and we're still a long way off track.

Image source, .

If countries carry on with the policies in place at the moment, we are on track for 2.6-2.9C of warming, according to the website Climate Action Tracker.

Under the UN process, countries have to make pledges on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they will cut. Current pledges take us to about 2.4C of warming, Climate Action Tracker says.

Some countries have set themselves, or are discussing, longer-term net zero targets. Even under the most optimistic scenario, where these are taken into account, Climate Action Tracker estimates we would still see 1.8C of warming by 2100.

If the outlook seems bleak, it’s worth remembering that when the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, we were on track for 3.6C of warming, so progress has been made.

One of the issues still to be resolved in these late night negotiations is whether to include stronger pledges on fossil fuels.

Last year at COP26, in Glasgow, nations agreed to "phase down" the use of coal.

There is now a proposal on the table to expand this to also include the two other major fossil fuels: oil and gas.

The burning of fossil fuels is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change.

But Carbon Brief has reported, external that Russia and Saudi Arabia are blocking this proposal.

What is climate change? A really simple guide

We've been hearing a lot about keeping the global temperature rise to 1.5C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Here's a reminder of what it means.

The figure refers to how much higher, on average, global temperatures are than in the 19th Century, before the industrial revolution.

The planet has already warmed about 1.1C since then. The IPCC, the UN’s panel of climate scientists says many impacts of global warming are already “irreversible”, with 40% of the world's population now "highly vulnerable" to climate change.

Also, the IPCC and Nasa say a rise of 2C, compared to 1.5C would mean:

• 10 million more people would be at risk of coastal flooding
• Up to twice as many people would struggle to access water because of climate change
• More than a third of the world's population would be exposed to severe heatwaves once every five years - compared to a seventh at 1.5C
• The Arctic would be free of sea-ice once a decade - compared to once per century at 1.5C
• Coral reefs would become virtually non-existent, compared to declining by 70-90% at 1.5C

Also, small island states have long argued that keeping temperatures below 1.5C is critical to their survival.

Georgina Rannard
Reporting from COP27

A few minutes ago it seemed like this could be veering off course again, as COP27 President Sameh Shoukry and the lead US negotiator Sue Biniaz left a core meeting that is hammering out the final areas of contention.

But now it looks suddenly like it is back on track. I've just seen Shoukry and the US lead going back into the negotiations, suggesting they want to keep this moving forwards.

From what we know, the disputes are down to last-minute interventions, rather than major objections to the question of a fund paid by rich nations to poor nations to cover the cost of climate damage.

Justin Rowlatt
BBC Climate editor, reporting from COP27

A flurry of activity in the past hour gave journalists hope an agreement had nearly been reached.

We thought they’d be news in the next half hour or hour or so, but a few grim-faced negotiators have come out shaking their heads and saying it’s probably hours away.

While the logjam on loss and damage has been broken, the issue of raising ambition on cutting carbon emissions seems to be proving a lot tougher than expected.

Greg Brosnan
BBC Climate team

Image source, Getty Images

You’ll have heard the words “loss and damage” over and over again today. It’s the major sticking point holding up these talks.

But what does it mean?

Poorer countries on the front line of climate change are struggling to deal with its consequences – the losses and damages. That’s things like destroyed homes from rising sea levels, damaged schools and hospitals from wildfires, and lost income from livestock that have starved. And they want richer nations to help them pay for these losses.

Countries like the US and those in Europe, they argue, are most to blame for our current levels of global warming. After all, they have been burning fossil fuels on a massive scale for more than 200 years. Coal fuelled the industrial revolution. Burning fossil fuels is one of the things that made them wealthy nations.

While many developed nations agree in principal with helping out financially, they are also very, very wary of picking up the tab for centuries to come.

That's one of the things that makes it a very tricky issue to resolve.

The US is working to find a way it can agree to proposals on creating a fund to help developing countries meet the cost of climate disasters, Reuters reports, citing a source close to the negotiations.

Another US source familiar with the negotiations said the US had been "deeply involved" in the negotiations on the "loss and damage" deal.

There are just "tiny, tiny things" to resolve before a deal is finalised, an Egyptian official has said.

"We're doing our best. Tiny, tiny things to work out," Wael Aboulmagd, the special representative to COP27 president Sameh Shoukry, told Reuters.

Georgina Rannard
Reporting from COP27

A sudden flurry of activity here outside a key meeting room. It looks like a deal is within sight. COP27 President Sameh Shoukry has just walked in. Journalists are waiting outside, keen to read the faces of delegates - do they look happy or sad? Will this end tonight?

They are tight-lipped though. I ask one how is it going - she says everything is still on the table. Another says we could be here all night.

Campaigners are waiting outside too, holding signs.

“We need to show leaders that we are watching them - that young people are expecting serious climate action,” says Sean Curries from Scotland.