The negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment.
But in a blunt mid-way assessment, the talks chair warned the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva that progress so far was well off track.
Some countries called for areas where countries are far from agreement to ditched completely for the sake of expediency.
Others slammed the brinkmanship and said insistence on consensus could not be used as justification for sinking the more ambitious elements of the treaty.
“Progress made has not been sufficient,” Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso told delegates in a frank summary as country delegations gathered in the assembly hall to take stock.
“We have arrived at a critical stage where a real push to achieve our common goal is needed.
“August 14 is not just a deadline for our work: it is a date by which we must deliver.”
