The Kyoto Protocol has been extended by eight years and goes into effect on January 1, 2013. But this is the only accomplishment of lengthy negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference, held in Doha, Qatar from November 26 to December 8.

The modest outcome saved the Doha conference from being labeled a complete failure.

The conference met China's expectations, but barriers to future action by the international community to respond to climate change still remain, said Xie Zhenhua, Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission and head of the Chinese delegation to the UN climate conference.

At the meeting, developed countries downplayed their historical responsibilities and the idea of "common but differentiated responsibilities," and also displayed a lack of political will to push for emission reduction, financial support and technology transfers, said Xie.

Non-governmental organizations are unanimously dissatisfied with these results.

The UN climate talks failed to deliver increased cuts to carbon pollution, or provide any credible pathway to providing $100 billion per year in financing by 2020 to help poor countries deal with climate change, according to the Climate Action Network-International (CAN-I), a worldwide body of 700 non-governmental organizations.

"The Doha decision has delivered no real cuts in emissions and it has delivered no concrete finance," said Tasneem Essop, head of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) delegation.

Positive results

Others say that the agreement, reached after two weeks of grueling negotiations in Doha, sends some encouraging signals.

The Kyoto Protocol, the only binding agreement under which developed countries have committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, has been extended, and its second commitment period will start next year.

The EU, Australia, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland have also declared that they will not carry over any surplus emission trading credits into the second commitment period. The issue of excess emission allowances, totaling 13 billion tons in greenhouse gases, was one of the most contentious topics at the talks. Allowing the carryover of excess emission permits was strongly opposed by many countries, because such a carryover could lead to a decrease of greenhouse gas levels only on paper, not in the atmosphere.

The agreement encourages developed countries to increase efforts to provide financing between 2013 and 2015 with  minimum levels equal to the average annual amount provided in fast-start funding from 2010-12. Germany, the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden and the EU Commission announced concrete financing pledges totaling approximately $6 billion, which will be paid out by 2015.