Final Thoughts from the Copenhagen Summit.... the glass is half full - not half empty

So here’s the crunch as the negotiations came down to the wire...The last 2 days reminded me of a four ring circus......

In the end the “Deal” that emerged at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day was said by many – perhaps most commentators to be hardly a deal at all. I disagree – given what is at stake as well as the real time frame for action it is what Mr Ban called “an essential beginning" 

Did it go far enough, fast enough? Of course not – and President Obama in his final press briefing admitted as much..

But it’s easy to sit on the sidelines and say they should have done more when you don’t have the balancing responsibilities that every delegation had to do.

And finally the program we launched during the Summit – Live the Deal – is even more relevant given the fact that countries will now register their commitments and aspirations to emission reduction by 2020. There is every capacity for our industry – hotels, airlines and travel services – to at least match those levels.

A few days in Copenhagen and you begin to understand how complex this process is...how many special interests are at play.... and how good the UNFCCC is keeping it all together so the real painstaking negotiation work gets done and it peaks when the world leaders start to appear this week. The UN family has been united behind the process and the unwavering vision of the Secretary General.

The biggest challenge in restrospect is that a year of media hype (including by the UN itself) has now raised "public" expectations to levels that make the chance of bridging negotiating positions increasingly difficult. Despite what is at stake.