Key realistic over Copenhagen climate deal

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Prime Minister John Key is still hoping for a global climate deal at Copenhagen but says he won't feel like a loser if he leaves without one.

Pessimism was rife as Key arrived in Copenhagen on Thursday afternoon, the day before the meeting is scheduled to end.

There was cynicism within his own government, with Associate Climate Change Minister Tim Groser rating a meaningful agreement "no chance".

Speaking at his central Copenhagen hotel, Key said if anyone could make a difference it was the leaders.

"I still think that (a deal) is possible.

"Yes it's been a challenging few weeks and it's obviously difficult but I think we all know what we need to do and I'm not so sure that it's not possible to get a deal if there's goodwill in the room."

He said he would not feel like a loser if he left without a deal, because New Zealand could claim one of the few victories at the conference through support for the Global Alliance for research into agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

Earlier in the afternoon, Tuvalu's Prime Minister, Apisai Ielemia, said the aim should be that global temperature rises should peak at well below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which was "non-negotiable".

"This meeting is about our future existence," Ielemia said.

But New Zealand backed a 2 degree cap on temperature rise, Key said, because the harder the target, the harder it would be to get an agreement.

"I think we all understand the anxiety of some of these small island states and the very real risk that climate change presents to them, but we're also in a position where there are now 193 countries who need to collectively agree on a target that can be achieved and who are prepared to take the necessary steps in their own economies to see that target achieved.

"In my view it would be better to take a more realistic view to that and see some progress made because unless we do that then this conference is going to fail."

At the conference venue on Thursday afternoon, representative countries were hunkered in "contact groups" trying to make progress on an agreed text for leaders to work off, on the two different negotiating tracks - the Kyoto Protocol, and the track for parties outside the protocol, including the United States and China, called "long-term cooperative action".

Key said it was preferable to have a text to work from, "otherwise we get reduced to a series of speeches and abstract ideas".

The Prime Minister has Cabinet powers to make decisions on the spot, such as extending New Zealand's emissions target or committing more Government money to financing climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries.

However, Mr Key appeared loathe to use them.

He said had advice from officials and Treasury on finance "but let's see how things play out."

Poverty-fighting non-government organisation Oxfam has called on the government to lift its finance range of between $10 million and $50 million to $700 million, but Key said: "That won't be happening."

On emissions targets, he reiterated he did not think it was necessary to move outside the 10 percent to 20 percent cut below 1990 levels by 2020.

"I don't think the success or failure of Copenhagen is going to rest on whether New Zealand changes its ... target."

Key said New Zealand's target was rated about 10th in the world by a European climate action tracker before he got to Europe. When it was pointed out the country was now rated "inadequate", the Prime Minister said he preferred their initial assessment.

Despite being dumped from a BBC World debate in favour of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd he was unfazed, adding: "I'll just watch Fox News for a while."

- © Fairfax NZ News