A package of drafts on the second period of the Kyoto Protocol and a weak commitment on climate finance adopted at the climate talks in Doha, Qatar, have sent a better-than-expected message.

The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the only United Nations treaty that obliges developed countries to cut carbon emissions, expires at the end of the year, whether its second period is applied is vital to the global efforts to combat climate change.

We have enough reason to applaud what has been achieved despite the fact that the United States, Canada, Japan and Russia, among others, insist that they will keep away from the treaty. The European Union-led group, which includes Australia, has pledged to join the second period of the Kyoto Protocol.