Key's Copenhagen speech: time for agreement

Copenhagen talks in pictures

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Reuters Zoom

EARTH HOUR: A boy sits on his father's shoulders in front of a globe during the Earth Hour ceremony in Copenhagen.The organisers called for the people of city to turn off their lights for one hour.

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Prime Minister John Key has urged the world's major economies to listen to the voices of vulnerable nations facing climate change.

Speaking two hours later than scheduled in the main plenary hall of Copenhagen's Bella Centre on Thursday night, Key said progress on a new climate deal would take "commitment, compromise and cash".

Read full speech here

He said it was "sobering" to reach the second-last scheduled day of the United Nations conference in Denmark without progress on the major issues.

The current system of limited participation under the Kyoto Protocol had to be moved to one of "comprehensive global coverage", he said.

"For this to be achieved we need international commitments from all major emitters that accommodate diverse national approaches to mitigation and adaptation," he said.

"At this conference we need leadership from the major economies; they need to listen to the voices of vulnerable nations that are facing the harsh realities of climate change.

"For New Zealand, we are acutely aware of the challenge climate change poses for our Pacific island neighbours."

During his six-minute speech - double the allotted time, but shorter than many leaders' speeches - Key said the time had come for leaders to reach an agreement.

"Now is the time for us to set aside our differences and to collectively map a pathway forward.

"Now is the time for every country to give a little so we as a world can gain a lot.

"But now is the time for us all to face the reality that of all the options on the table at Copenhagen, failure is the one we can all least afford."

Key said a "clear and firm" signal must be sent to the world, to change attitudes, drive low-carbon development, spur innovation and the deployment of technology.

The wrong rules on agriculture and forestry, he warned, could significantly undermine New Zealand's future as a food producer to the world "for no environmental gain".

After the speech, Key left the conference to attend a royal banquet.

- © Fairfax NZ News