The goal, initially, was to prevent global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius, but the reality of the negotiations is proving more complicated than that.

Negotiators from 195 countries signed off on a draft climate agreement here Saturday, but the document left so many huge questions unanswered that the real work is only just beginning.

The negotiating teams turned their rough draft over to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who will guide senior ministers from each country Monday as they try to seal a final deal before the talks are scheduled to end Friday.

Representatives from around the globe have huddled for the past week outside Paris in a small compound of warehouses that smell faintly of fresh plywood. As thousands of journalists track their progress—and as thousands of activists attempt to influence the outcome—negotiators are trying to hammer out a plan for cutting carbon emissions. The goal, initially, was to prevent global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius, but the reality of the negotiations is proving more complicated than that.