Comments from Washington suggesting serious reservations about the outcome of the Bali Climate Change Conference show what a tough job negotiators face over the next two years if they are to achieve a replacement for the original Kyoto Protocol.
In contrast to the Bush Administration attitudes to the Bali outcome are more positive here. Minister David Parker argues "it meant the Government's proposals to reduce emissions - including a freeze on new power stations that burn fossil fuels - now took on extra importance."
Environment focused NGOs however, seem less pleased. Greenpeace spokesman Jim Footner said the agreement failed to deal with the serious emergency the world faced as outlined in reports from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change.
"It is not enough, but it's a start."
Some in the New Zealand business community are more balanced. Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly said the deal "was an agreement to have more negotiations". Nevertheless, it would give more certainty to businesses about a continued path to reduce emissions after 2012 and would also provide a boast to the emissions-trading scheme.
