Copenhagen negotiations on track - Groser

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Concessions from developing countries and realism by the Danish hosts have rescued climate change negotiations at Copenhagen, Climate Minister Tim Groser says.

Groser returned to New Zealand yesterday from Copenhagen, where about 30 ministers from around the world met before next month's two-week showdown in the Danish capital.

"We now have got a realistic chance of taking a series of decisions, short of a legally binding agreement, to put in place all the details for the second [Kyoto Protocol] commitment period, starting on the first of January 2013," he said.

The challenges for the Copenhagen meeting, which starts on December 7, included reinforcing international co-ordination, helping the United States persuade reluctant senators to pass legislation capping the country's emissions and setting a timeline for completing the negotiations.

"Things are more constructive, moving in the right direction," Groser said. "The big developing countries are starting to take climate change extremely seriously."

The US Energy Information Administration predicts global energy demand will soar 44 per cent over the next two decades, with most coming from developing countries such as China.

"An agreement that doesn't start to reduce the rate of growth of developing-country emissions is simply not going to do the job," Groser said. "The world is getting serious. It's too late but at least some very positive signs are coming through."

Prime Minister John Key said this week there was a 5 per cent chance of him attending the meeting.

Simon Boxer, senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace, said 40 to 50 world leaders had confirmed their attendance – including Britain's Gordon Brown and Australia's Kevin Rudd.

"We're very optimistic the majority of world leaders will be at Copenhagen," he said.

Boxer said New Zealand could get a shock at the meeting, because the country's emissions trading scheme was seen as a "joke".

- © Fairfax NZ News