One photo sums up the faltering Lima climate talks

It’s not looking good in Lima.

International climate change negotiators had already sent the two-week long U.N.-sponsored talks into overtime as they worked out a deal that would force all countries to formally state how they are going to fight climate change, including how they’ll help other countries deal with its impact.

But as night fell in the Peruvian capital Saturday, the final draft text was still being negotiated, as a group of developing countries led by an African bloc refused to allow a watered-down version that softened industrialized countries’ responsibilities to go through. The main complaint was that the language of the text seemed to equate the obligations of developing and industrialized countries.

Earlier in the day, Responding To Climate Change (RTCC) reporter Sophie Yeo took the photo below showing Todd Stern, the Obama administration’s lead international climate change negotiator, all alone and talking on his cell phone.

It basically sums up how far apart everyone remained.

Talks were set to resume at 9 p.m. Saturday. Some deal will eventually be reached, but many are already preparing to be disappointed. Here’s Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer:

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.