Doha climate talks reach weak commitment by rich nations

Delegates from Swaziland, on behalf of the African group, said the protocol is too weak, but it provides a legal framework. "

For Gambia, one of the world's least developed country, the treaty lacks ambitions in the adaptation and mitigation as well as finance.

"We urge all developed country parties to improve their pledges. We welcome the adoption of the amendment of the KP 2 and appreciate the political efforts make by all parties," the delegate said.

On the issue of how the developed world help developing countries respond to climate change, European countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark have announced to provide financial assistance worth several billion euros, although the amount is far from enough.

The developing nations complained that large promises of money from rich donors have not materialized. Developed countries have pledged $30 billion called "Fast Start" fund from 2010 to 2012, and a scale-up of the aid to $100 billion per year by 2020.

But no agreement or timetable turned up at the Doha talks on how to bridge the funding gap from next year, with the United States, Europe and other developed nations citing economic slowdown as the excuse for refusal to provide more.

The agreement merely "extends the work program of long-term finance for one year to the end of 2013."

The deal urged additional country parties to announce climate finance pledges "when their financial circumstances permit," and encouraged developed countries to provide resources of at least the average annual level of the "Fast Start" finance period.

That indicates only $10 billion of climate fund is available every year, which is only half of the amount proposed by developing countries between 2013 and 2015.

The Group 77 and China have proposed that developed countries raise $20 billion per year between 2013 and 2015 for "medium-term" climate fund as the long-term finance falls into uncertainty in the wake of global economic downturn.

Some developed countries gave vaguely assurances that the climate finance will continue, which means nothing, said Tim Gore with Oxfam International.

"It's betrayal to the commitment they made in Copenhagen to stand with poorest countries ... The decision here in Doha made it harder, hard for families to put the food on the table for their children. That's the cruel reality," Gore said.

"Developed countries remain losers. They are not taking the lead," said the Brazilian delegate. "They are not leading in mitigation, they lack the ambitions ... they are shifting their burden, the developed countries should take the lead. This is unacceptable."