The Doha conference on climate change ended with an extension of the Kyoto Treaty and a commitment, for the first time, from developed countries to assist developing countries with aid to deal with the consequences of climate change: so-called 'damage aid'.
"Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey said: "This round of international climate change talks was a modest step forward. We always knew they would be very tough after the breakthrough at the same conference in Durban last year.
"We can be pleased that we have maintained the momentum towards a new legally binding agreement for 2020 after the Kyoto Protocol has expired. However, we still need countries to do more and be more ambitious about reducing their emissions if we are going to avoid irreversible climate change and prevent devastating global warming.
"The UK, as part of the EU, will be working very hard over the next year to ensure next year's talks yield even more progress and that we play our part in lowering global emissions."The European Union welcomed the outcome of the conference, saying it lays the basis for more ambitious international action against climate change in the short term, paves the way for a new global climate agreement to be finalised in 2015 and enables a second period of the Kyoto Protocol to start on 1 January.
Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, said: "In Doha, we have crossed the bridge from the old climate regime to the new system. We are now on our way to the 2015 global deal. It was not an easy and comfortable ride. It was not a very fast ride either. But we have managed to cross the bridge. Very intense negotiations lie ahead of us. What we need now is more ambition and more speed."
For the business sector, Jonathan Grant, director of sustainability and change at PwC said: "Governments in Doha achieved little more than was expected – the really contentious issues of financing and ambitious action were postponed. The UN climate negotiations are still on the rails, but it will only get harder as we get closer to 2015. Doha sends a clear signal that it will be very difficult to agree a meaningful climate treaty in 2015.
"The PwC Low Carbon Economy Index shows the levels of reductions required by all major developed and developing economies. To keep to 2 degrees, the increase in ambition has to come before 2020."