The failure of climate talks to produce meaningful results is threatening the very survival of small island nations, according to the head of the Maldives delegation at the COP24 summit.

Former president Mohamed Nasheed asked what the point of holding these annual UN events was if they did not produce any solutions.

The slow pace at which negotiations have progressed over the past two weeks stands in stark contrast to the urgency of warnings by the international scientific community.

Small island nations like the Maldives could be left uninhabitable as sea levels rise, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in October this threat will become considerably worse once warming rises over 1.5C.

Mr Nasheed said the inhabitants of his Indian Ocean nation want to live “in our own homelands, we want to live with our communities, with our culture, with our people”.

“We don’t think that this is asking for much… We are just only saying: please do not kill us,” he said.

Talks faced an obstacle over the weekend when the major oil producers Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia and the US objected to a motion to “welcome” the IPCC’s findings, which would mean tougher targets for fossil fuel cuts.

Critics condemned these “rogue nations” for pushing against the prevailing scientific viewpoint at such an urgent moment, when consensus is vital.

Glacier collapse shows climate impact Show all 20 1 /20 Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier near Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux works with student Febin Magar to assemble a radar dome while working in a science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Airplane Mechanic, David Fuller, left, works with a local worker to move a Nasa Gulfstream III during a pre-flight inspection before a flight to support the Oceans Melting Greenland research mission Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Earth Science Flight Programs Director at Nasa, Eric Ianson, looks out at the Greenland ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacial ice is seen from the window during the Nasa flight Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland's science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A large crevasse forms near the calving front of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux uses a drill to install antennas for scientific instruments that will be left on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event at the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Radar Engineer, Ron Muellerschoen, monitors data collection inside a NASA Gulfstream III flying above Greenland to measure loss to the country's ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact GPS tracking equipment is left on top of the Helheim glacier REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Sunshine lights up the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A glacial terminus above the east coast of Greenland REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Student Febin Magar watches as leftover wood burns in a research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland repairs a broken GPS module at his research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters

Mr Nasheed said: “There is a view among many of us that this is failing.”

As the costs of dealing with more extreme storms and flooding rise, president of Pacific island nation Vanuatu Ralph Regenvanu told attendees at COP24 his country was prepared to sue fossil fuel companies to pay for climate change damage.

Following delays, a draft text of a final agreement for the meeting emerged late on Thursday night after nearly two weeks of talks.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Negotiators have now gathered to discuss the draft in talks that are expected to overrun beyond the expected finish day of Friday and well into the weekend.

Questions still hover over troublesome nations like the US and Saudi Arabia, as well as the involvement of big emerging economies like China and India.