All UN climate change conferences finish in frantic all-night sessions and the Kyoto summit is no exception. And with the sand in the diplomatic hour-glass running out, it seems that the fate of the global environment lies in the hands of two unlikely bedfellows - Mr Stuart Eizenstat and Mr John Prescott. Mr Eizenstat - "Stu", as he is known - is an experienced US trade negotiator used to breaking down barriers to get unrestricted access for American products. The last place he expected to find himself, at least until late last month, was in Kyoto negotiating a deal on greenhouse gas emissions.
He was drafted in at the last minute to replace the former US Under-secretary for Global Affairs, Mr Timothy Wirth, who was a familiar figure at the previous climate change summits in Berlin and Geneva. Mr Wirth surprised the Clinton administration by resigning last month to take up a job with Mr Ted Turner, the media magnate.
Mr Wirth's deputy, Ms Eileen Claussen also resigned from the US State Department for "family reasons". According to reliable sources, neither of them particularly wanted to stay around to negotiate a deal in Kyoto which was almost bound to fall short of their own aspirations.
Enter Mr Eizenstat and his deputy, Ms Melinda Kimble, also a US trade negotiator. They both had to immerse themselves in the complex nuances of the last five years of tortuous climate talks - and Mr Eizenstat, who cuts a hawkish figure, only arrived here a few days ago to take charge of the US delegation.
Last night, he was accused by Britain's former environment secretary, Mr John Gummer MP, of treating the talks in Kyoto as if they were "piddling trade negotiations over the price of beans when what's at stake is the future of the planet and whether Bangladesh and numerous island states are to go underwater".
The first round of talks between the three "key players" - the European Union, the US and Japan - on Monday night almost broke down before they started because Mr Eizenstat and his team turned up 11/2 hours late. Only the Japanese managed to persuade an angry EU delegation not to walk out in protest.
Officially, the EU delegation is headed by Mr Johny Lauren, the Environment Minister of Luxembourg, which currently holds the Union's presidency. The Netherlands and Britain are there, too, as members of the EU "Troika"; Ireland is fortunate that it is not in the thick of it, having slipped out of the Troika last July.
The EU's toughest representative is Mr John Prescott, a former senior official of Britain's National Union of Seamen and one-time steward aboard P&O ferries plying the North Sea. It was this early job in his career that prompted some Tory MPs to shout, "Another gin and tonic, if you please," when he rose to speak in the House of Commons.
As a bluff Northerner, in English terms, Mr Prescott takes no prisoners. He has also mastered most of the climate change jargon and is ably assisted by Britain's environment minister, Mr Michael Meacher, who provides the intellectual weight to back up the deputy prime minister's trade union-style negotiating skills.
Another important player is Mr Raul Estrada, the Argentinian chairman of the Kyoto conference. He is widely respected for his mastery of the issues, as could be seen from the text of the draft treaty he produced yesterday evening in an 11th-hour effort to bridge the remaining gaps between the various blocs.
As Mr Estrada was explaining his text to the plenary session, Mr Donald Pearlman, the notorious "king of the carbon club", was sitting right in front of the TV monitor taking extensive notes in his foolscap pad. Immediately, he was observed going into conclave with other fossil fuel lobbyists to tease out its implications.
One of the other pivotal figures is Prof Mark Mwandosya, the Tanzanian chairman of the G77 and China group, which represents 136 developing countries. An urbane and witty diplomat, he told journalists last week that if they could identify the "core issue" at stake in Kyoto, "let me know."
Last night G77 was said to be nearly apoplectic about the latest US proposal for a greenhouse gas trading "umbrella" group. This was like a red rag to a bull, as the developing countries felt they were being caught in a pincer movement by the EU "bubble" on the one hand and the US "umbrella" on the other.
Japan, as host country, might have been expected to play a more obvious leadership role, and has been criticised by all sides. But late last night, the Prime Minister, Mr Hashimoto, finally rode into the breach, saying he had been telephoning world leaders in an effort to break the deadlock.
With less than 24 hours to go, it may still prove difficult if not impossible to broker a deal. It may not be as simple as selling beans, but it may end up - as these things usually do - as a classic piece of fudge, with the most contentious issues deferred until the climate change circus moves on to Buenos Aires next year.