Environment minister John Gormley has spoken of his disappointment that the EU climate change summit in Copenhagen has ended with a political fudge.

Over 190 countries "noted" a US-backed deal – reached with key nations such as China and Brazil – but declin­ed to endorse it after key decisions on binding cuts in green­house gases have been postponed until the next global conference in Mexico next year.

Speaking yesterday, Gormley said, "I am very disappointed at the outcome. The deal is underwhelming.

"Its only saving grace is that it does keep the process on track within the EU. Within the EU we now have to re­group and I will be working with my European colleagues with a view towards the meeting in Bonn [next year]."

It was initially hoped the Copenhagen talks might produce a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, a United Nations initiative aimed at combating global warming by cutting CO2 emissions, which expires in 2012, but they fell short of that mark.

Over the last few months, it was anticipated that the Copenhagen Accord would see world leaders overcoming major differences and securing a coherent deal on how we should tackle climate change. Instead India, China and South Africa have backed a US-led deal which has agreed only a few modest goals.

The EU has reluctantly backed the deal only to ensure the process continues and the deal was not endorsed by the plenary of 193 countries and it was only "noted".

Mammoth decisions on binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions within a given timeframe have now been long-fingered until the next summit in Mexico in November next year.

As well as the conference failing to deliver the deal and only boasting modest success, it was dogged by riots and the organisation was widely perceived as disastrous.

Last Tuesday, the talks descended into disarray after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders were going to be asked to sign an agreement that would hand more power to rich countries and sideline the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.

While Gormley is among a large cohort of participants to emerge disappointed from the talks, it has been welcomed in some quarters.

The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon welcomed the US-backed climate deal as an "essential beginning" but said, "We must transform this into a legally binding treaty next year. The importance will only be recognised when it's codified into international law."