Last-ditch effort for climate deal

Schwarzenegger in Copenhagen

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Politicians and negotiators are entering an intense 48 hours to try and salvage a global climate deal in Copenhagen.

Ministers and officials have just two days of talks until 132 world leaders, including United States President Barack Obama, arrive on Friday.

Climate Change Minister Nick Smith said there was acknowledgement within the conference that failure was possible and there was an enormous amount of work to do.

He held bilateral talks with China and the United Kingdom on Tuesday and will hold ministerial talks from 10pm (local time), which are expected to stretch "deep into the early hours".

"We're into that crunch period of the next 48 hours to try and make Copenhagen a success," he said.

"The really tough issues around the mitigation, the developing countries, getting them on board, and the financing are still going to require a lot of work."

Smith said there was acceptance that there would not be an updated, ratifiable treaty and he parroted Prime Minister John Key's line that the best outcome would be a high level political statement.

"That would be as good as could be achieved this week and would be a remarkable achievement."

A tinge of celebrity hit the conference on Tuesday, with cameo appearances from Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former United States vice president Al Gore of "An Inconvenient Truth" fame and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Britain's Prince Charles spoke at the opening of the high level talks.

But deep divisions remain between developed and developing countries, over reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and finance to help poorer countries adapt to and mitigate against climate change.

Talks on the Kyoto Protocol again broke down when agreement could not been reached.

A "contact group" will try to make headway on Tuesday night.

Meeting president Connie Hedegaard, the Danish environment minister, described progress in the first 10 days of the meeting was "alright".

"But it's very clear that ministers have to be extremely busy and focused over the next 48 hours if we are to make it the success."

She said there had been tremendous progress politically since the Bali Action Plan was agreed two years ago, although things did not move in the first year things because of slow progress in the United States.

She compared UN negotiators to school children.

"They have a very long deadline before they have to deliver an exercise and then they will still ask for more time and they still deliver it very late and in the very last moment. Only when you know now the deadline is there and you cannot escape it, then you have to do it.

"It's basically as simple as that - I don't know if it's human nature or whatever but you take the time that you can."

- © Fairfax NZ News