Key steps along the road to reaching a global deal on climate change before the end of next year are becoming clearer as the latest round of UN-sponsored negotiations in Bonn enters its second week.

The US, which announced plans last week to slash emissions from coal-fired power plants, has called on all countries to agree on a deadline of March 31st next to unveil plans to tackle climate change.

China, now the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has signalled that it would meet this deadline and other countries are expected to follow suit, including the EU’s 28 member states.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has been pressing world leaders to “commit and submit” their plans; he is to host a one-day summit on the issue at the UN General Assembly in September.

Follow-up conferences

This is happening against the backdrop of rising emissions, with carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reaching 400 parts per million for the first time in history.

It also follows publication by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the first three volumes of its Fifth Assessment Report, which is unequivocal about global warming.

At the latest round of talks in Bonn, ministers and other delegates from more than 170 countries are discussing issues that need to be resolved to pave the way for Paris.

Negotiators will continue their dual task to design the “architecture” of such a deal and to find ways to raise the current level of global ambition to address climate change between now and 2020.

UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said many countries, businesses, cities, investors and consumers were already taking positive action, while governments were working on national contributions.

“The focus is to raise this groundswell into a global transformation to the low-carbon, climate-resilient future that is our only credible response to the climate change challenge,” she said. But the Climate Action Network complained ministers from key countries had not turned up for “ministerial talks” in Bonn. These include Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan.