Developing nations showed support for a European Union proposal aimed at combating global warming, but disagreements persisted at UN climate talks, raising concerns that the negotiations could collapse. The EU's plan calls for a new agreement by 2015 that would enforce cuts on major emitters of greenhouse gases, with the agreement taking effect within five years. Despite some progress, EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard warned that the outcome of the talks in Durban was uncertain, as several countries had not yet committed to the proposed roadmap. "If there is no further progress from what I have observed until 4 o'clock this morning, I believe a deal in Durban is unlikely. This is the current situation we are facing. A preliminary text has been proposed that could obligate over 30 industrialized nations to reduce emissions as part of a new phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the only global agreement that mandates carbon reductions. However, this text would likely only be approved if all major emitters agreed to legal targets in a separate agreement that includes China, India, and the United States. Many climate experts are skeptical of the wording in the second text, as it only mentions a 'legal framework' and falls short of the legally binding treaty requested by the European Union and numerous developing countries." Rene Orellana, chief negotiator for Bolivia and part of the ALBA group of Latin American nations, expressed concern about the lack of a legal regime to control emissions from developed countries. He warned that without such framework, there would be no control over big emitters, leading to potential environmental catastrophe. Orellana emphasized the need for a regime to enforce compliance with emissions reductions, criticizing the proposed texts for being unclear on timelines and depth of reductions. The EU's strategy at the conference is to create a group of countries willing to put pressure on China, the United States, and India to agree to mandatory reductions in carbon emissions, even though these countries are not obligated by the Kyoto Protocol. Washington insists on all major polluters making similar commitments before agreeing to binding cuts, while China and India argue that it would be unfair to expect them to make the same level of cuts as developed countries, which are primarily responsible for global warming. Many delegates believe that the climate talks in Durban will likely result in a weak political agreement, with countries agreeing to begin negotiations on a new system of mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. They claim that anything less than achieving change would be catastrophic. Recent U.N. reports indicate that time is running out to address the issue, as a warming planet will worsen droughts, floods, crop failures, and sea level rise, endangering several island nations. The Durban talks, expected to conclude on Friday, are likely to continue into the night and possibly into Saturday. Delegates from small islands and African countries expressed frustration at the slow progress of the negotiations, joining a protest by environmental groups outside the main meeting room. Maldives' climate negotiator Mohamed Aslam emphasized the urgency of saving the islands from sinking, asserting the right of the people to live and determining their own destiny. Grenada's foreign minister Karl Hood, who heads the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), expressed frustration with the lack of progress in climate change negotiations, highlighting the focus on peripheral issues rather than addressing the core climate challenges such as adaptation and mitigation. I believe that Durban could ultimately be the one to bring an end to UN climate negotiations.