Climate change deal crucial for Pacific island nations: Australian PM

Rudd was speaking in the northeastern Australian city of Cairns at the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum summit of regional leaders, where climate change has emerged as a key issue.

Leaders from Australia, New Zealand and 13 Pacific Island nations will also tackle the impact of the global economic crisis and Fiji over two days of talks.

Forum countries are among the most vulnerable in the world to the impact of climate change, especially atoll archipelagos such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands where the highest ground is only a few metres above sea level.

Major talks in Copenhagen in December will attempt to strike a new global deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and reduce the rate of climate change.