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The latest round of UN climate talks in Bangkok has closed with no new agreements or deals but a sense that negotiations ahead of COP18 in Qatar are back on track.
A Japanese negotiator told RTCC these had been 'slow, dull, calm and peaceful' negotiations which were on the whole 'positive'.
An 'unofficial paper' outlining how a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol could work has been produced, while discussions over the format of the Durban Platform have been termed 'productive'.
Little progress appears to have been made over the future of the Long-term Cooperative Action (LCA) negotiating stream, with familiar disagreements between developed and developing countries. A text may or may not be released later today.
Discussions over finance were described as 'useful' but there have been no new pledges. It is accepted that a new round of Fast Start Finance needs to be agreed in Qatar, but concrete commitments have yet to be made.
The Green Climate Fund board meets for a second time in October, with further contributions from the EU, Japan, Australia and Canada expected.
On the positive side, Bangkok appears to have been a calming influence after what were labelled 'nasty' talks at the Bonn meeting in May.
There had been doubts over the need for an extra round of talks, but UN climate chief Christiana Figueres said the results proved this had been a worthwhile experience.
"The investment in Bangkok has paid off. Government negotiators have pushed forward key issues further than many had expected and raised the prospects for a next successful step in Doha," she said.
"There are still some tough political decisions ahead, but we now have a positive momentum and a greater sense of convergence that will stimulate higher-level political discussions ahead of Doha and set a faster pace of work once this year's conference begins," she said.
