IT would be too cynical to say that the most positive outcome of the Doha climate summit was that the talks did not collapse. Indeed, by the end, some 200 delegates had found a form of words upon which they could all agree for the final communiqué. There have been advances. Albeit in the same vein that we have seen elsewhere, talk about talks, in Doha we have seen progress about progress. Nevertheless, what has happened at this summit may constitute genuine progress in the battle to halt, and hopefully reverse, global warming. The key achievement has been the acceptance by the world's rich nations that they should be compensating the poor nations of the developing world for the damage caused by the pollution that they have caused and in many cases, continue to cause. This moves the issue on from the richer nations simply helping poorer states cope financially with the results of climate change, to actually being obliged to pay up for the damage that they have caused on their own route to prosperity. What of course was not tackled were any specific figures for that compensation. The final communiqué suggested $10 billion a year up to 2020. But agreement on that sum will have to come later, maybe in three years time when the next summit will try to finalize the details of a new, more powerful international treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The effect of the agreement in Doha has been to extend the provisions of the Kyoto deal for a further three years. Many of the scientists and environmental pressure groups were deeply unhappy that the political negotiators did not reflect on, what they believe, is the urgency of the task of combatting global warming. One researcher claimed that far from being able to halt and reverse the output of carbon gases, it was now possible only to slow the rate at which they are increasing and with that the pace of change in the global climate. However, while scientists believe that they can see the implications of what is happening with all the clarity of a laboratory experiment, the political leaders, who will actually make the decisions that make the difference, are pressed with other agendas besides pure science. Major companies could be placed at great commercial disadvantage, economic activity could be forced to contract and perhaps most importantly, for the developed world still struggling to escape from deep recession, there simply may not be the spare government cash lying around to pay for essential research and changes, let alone paying compensation to stricken developing world countries. It seems clear that the political will is all too often still being extended only grudgingly, even by the US, so close to the devastation of New York by Hurricane Sandy. One wonders how many more major disasters will be necessary before national leaders get the message that this may very well not be a problem that will simply go away if they ignore it long enough. The Qataris are to be congratulated on their patient and efficient organization of this difficult gathering of world leaders and lobbyists. Particular note should be paid of the chairman of the talks, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, a former OPEC head who brilliantly out-maneuvered the Russians over a last minute amendment which could have wrecked the whole summit.
