The annual theatrics of the climate change conference has entered the second half of its intense but, by all accounts, futile negotiation process in Doha. If the world, especially the developing world, didn't get anything out of the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009, which was supposed to finalize a binding agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, it cannot expect anything from Doha either.

Copenhagen was supposed to see the fruition of the 2007 Bali Road Map, which included the Bali Action Plan, the launch of the Adaptation Fund (for developing countries), the decisions on technology transfer (to developing countries) and on reducing emissions from deforestation. But the hype and hoopla over the Copenhagen conference proved to be a lot of hot air.

The world was back to square one at the 2010 climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, and the 2011 conference in Durban, South Africa, to all intents and purposes, was a non-starter.