This paper analyzes global negotiations on climate change and assesses the possibilities of the success of a global accord on the reduction of greenhouse gases. It argues that there were special reasons for the success of the Montreal Protocol which do not apply in the case of the Kyoto Protocol, weak as it is. In particular, the key requirement in the Montreal Protocol was a facility for developing countries to make the transition from ozone depleting substances to more ozone-friendly substances. Such a comparable facility in the Kyoto Protocol is the "Clean Development Mechanism", which is as yet incomplete. Indeed the very success of the Kyoto Protocol is in doubt, as there is a massive campaign not to ratify it in the USA. The lessions from both Protocols are important if we are to make any progress in global action