Future steps outlined at climate change gathering

After two weeks of heated discussions in Katowice, Poland, negotiators from about 200 countries on Saturday agreed on universal and transparent rules that will govern future efforts to tackle climate change.

While the differences between the South and the North have been, to some extent, narrowed, more ambitious plans have yet to be made despite recent reports that stressed the hazards of global warming.

The 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP24, was tasked with finalizing the implementation guidelines for the 2015 Paris climate change agreement. It was scheduled to run from Dec 2 to Friday, but was prolonged due to intensive talks among delegates.