These climate talks, the first to be hosted in the Middle East, have reached a pivotal moment, yet progress has stalled on several critical issues despite the arrival of ministers yesterday, according to Wael Hmaidan, Director of Climate Action Network-International.

“Although there are growing expectations from the emerging civil society movement on climate change within the region, we have yet to see substantive leadership from Arab political figures,” Hmaidan noted. “With only two days remaining, the Qatari Presidency must now commit to reducing carbon emissions and propose concrete climate finance contributions to reinvigorate political momentum in these negotiations.”

Hmaidan further emphasized the importance of uniting participating countries on unresolved issues in a manner that raises the overall ambition of global climate action.

Liz Gallagher, Senior Policy Advisor at E3G, observed that while progress is beginning to take shape, with emerging consensus around key elements of the Kyoto Protocol, significant disarray persists in the Long-term Cooperative Action (LCA) track.

“The disorganization within the LCA track threatens not only the success of the Doha negotiations but also risks derailing progress towards an inclusive, global treaty by 2015,” Gallagher warned. “There is a real danger that the talks could conclude with a weak, ineffective outcome—a ‘zombie’ deal that fails to deliver meaningful results.”

She issued a clear call to action, urging ministers to “engage directly, take responsibility, and drive the UN negotiations forward with urgency.”

Steve Herz, representing the Sierra Club, identified climate finance as the primary obstacle within the LCA discussions. He stressed that securing adequate financial commitments is essential to reaching an agreement acceptable to the nations most vulnerable to climate change. Herz specifically pointed to the United States as a key barrier, noting its resistance to discussing pathways to achieving the agreed target of $100 billion per year in climate finance.

“The United States risks undermining the very Durban Platform for a new climate agreement that it worked hard to secure last year if it continues to obstruct progress on climate finance,” Herz stated. “By doing so, it risks turning a potential success into a missed opportunity.”