Paris | Environment Minister Greg Hunt says Australia will back a call from small island nations for a Paris climate change agreement to include an aspirational goal of capping global temperature rises at 1.5 degrees, which is lower than the United Nation's current target of 2 degrees.
Pacific states and other nations vulnerable to rising sea levels are calling for a tougher cap on global warming at the UN Paris talks taking place over the next fortnight. Their concerns are heightened by the series of national carbon reduction pledges made in the lead-up to the UN conference, which will not be enough to meet the agreed goal of keeping warming to within 2 degrees of pre-industrial levels. 
Estimates suggest the current commitments add up to about 2.7 degrees of warming.
The government's attitude towards its smaller regional neighbours came into question this week after an attempt by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to ridicule Labor's Tanya Plibersbek backfired. Ms Bishop accused her rival of wrongly claiming the island of Eneko had "disappeared" but got the name of the island wrong.
The Alliance of Small Island States, whose members include Fiji and Jamaica, has used Australia as broker in its discussions with bigger nations about including the 1.5 degree aspiration in the wording of any agreement. The 1.5 degree goal cannot be included as a firm target because it would be vetoed by larger developing nations, who argue it would put too much pressure on their growing economies which require fossil fuels to overcome issues such as access to electricity.
"The small island states would obviously like to see a clear goal for 1.5 degrees," Mr Hunt said. "Some of the largest developing countries are more resistant to that. Australia is happy to have a reference to 1.5 degrees with obviously the clear overarching goal for the agreement being below 2 degrees. We are acting as a broker in that space. Our approach is to be flexible and constructive."
Mr Hunt said one of the main challenges for the more than 190 countries represented at the Paris summit will be agreeing on "genuine" five-yearly reviews of national carbon reduction targets. Developed countries such as the United States, Australia and France - as well as some fast-growing economies such as China - believe reviews are critical to ensuring nations meet then progressively improve their carbon reduction targets for 2030.
"I think that the central element to a solution here will be the review mechanisms," Mr Hunt said. "We have said that genuine five-year reviews beginning with a review that takes real effect in 2020, 2025, 2030 is the right way to do it."
France has set a Saturday deadline for the various negotiating groups to come up with a draft document that eventually could form the basis of a formal agreement. The text of this preliminary document will be at the heart of further negotiations between countries - Australia will be represented by Ms Bishop - during the second week of the conference.
Mr Hunt caused a minor commotion when he appeared to suggest the host nation had already produced a "French text". Smaller nations are sensitive to suggestions that France and other richer countries have prejudged the process. However, Mr Hunt's office later clarified his reference was meant to refer to the text that would be produced as a result of the negotiating groups.
Mr Hunt said he remained confident that India, which is resisting strict five-year reviews, would not be an obstacle to a binding agreement.
"I remain confident it will be a hard-fought two weeks but at the end of the day we are likely to achieve, and will achieve, an agreement," he said.
Key points
Island coalition wants a tougher cap on global warming at the Paris talks than the UN's 2 degrees.
Australia is acting as a broker for the group and has backed the aspirational goal of 1.5 degrees.